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7 Practical Tips to Help You Stop Working 7 Days a Week

Plus it allows me to spend the majority of my working time doing what I’m best at and what most moves the mission forward.

If you have too much to do, start eliminating categories of things instead of just selected things.

If you have too much to do, start eliminating categories of things instead of just selected things. CLICK TO TWEET

7. LEARN TO SAY NO NICELY

I hate saying no. I’d love to say yes to everyone. But I would be dead and they would not be helped.

I wrote this post outlining a six-step strategy on how to say no nicely.

I also need to confess that I have a secret weapon. I have a great assistant and team around me. Sometimes I joke that I pay them to say no all day long. They’re good at it and so nice that when they say no on my behalf people feel like they said yes. I’m not kidding.

The transferable principle is that if you’re in a larger organization and can have an assistant or team, find people who excel at saying no and setting boundaries, nicely. It’s an amazing gift…not just to you but to the entire organization. And if you don’t have a budget for that, my guess is you can even find a volunteer who will help you by handling your calendar or hire a very part-time person like I have using a service like this.

A final word: This needs constant revisiting. I’m about to review all my outside and inside commitments again next month and start cutting again. You are never done. As more opportunities arise, you need to be relentless in what you say no to…even if you say it nicely.

This article originally appeared here.