This week has been a busy one for me. I’ve had several requests for my time: team meetings, report reviews, two book contracts to read and sign, and a speech on Saturday. On top of these things, I just had a request to mentor a new scientist at work. I can say no, but should I?
Part of project management—and any job or any life, really—is knowing when to say no. You might even have to say no to good and worthy things like mentoring. Saying no is an important skill to have because . . .
every yes is a no to something else.
I want to create space for things that truly matter to me. At work that means science communication, helping my teams, and deep, creative thinking. At home that means writing children’s books, taking care of the people close to me, and REST.
Below is an example of how I spend my spare time . . . who could say no to this little panda?
I should be spending most of this week prepping for my big speech on Saturday. One of my big goals is reaching non-scientist groups about the importance of nature and the environment. Saying ‘yes’ to everything that comes my way can leave me depleted, stressed, and not in a place where I can enjoy the speaking event.
There are several questions I ask myself before I say yes or no:
Is the task in line with my goals?
Will this task bring me joy?
Am I doing this just to please others?
Would someone else be better at this opportunity?
Can it be delegated?
Do I have the resources?
Do I have the skills or do I want to develop those skills?
Do I have the time?
I might be tempted to say yes, just because I have the time, but I don’t want to accept an opportunity simply because I have the time to do it. Accepting a nice opportunity now, might not leave me enough time when a spectacular opportunity comes along. I’ll say it again . . . . . .
every yes is a no to something else.
In addition to the above questions, a few rules help the scientist in me navigate opportunities. For example, I have been speaking at a lot of conferences and workshops lately. To keep this under control, I have a rule that I won’t attend a work conference unless I was invited to speak. I will not travel two weeks in a row. And I consider the location and layovers before I make my decision (this rule is kind of wobbly, but there are places I’d rather not spend much time). My schedule is still crazy right now, but this helps me make those decisions more quickly.
So what did I do about the mentoring request? I said no . . . for now. It made me a little sad, but sometimes you have to say no to good things, too. I will mentor after this season of travel is over, because mentoring fits with my goals, brings me joy, and in the fall I will have the time. I hope this post helps you to say no to at least one thing this week.
I love this article, love the panda and also the checklist for saying no. I´m going to remember this today, every yes is a no to something else!