Saying No, For A Better Yes

Another week has come and gone and my to do list isn’t any shorter. In fact, it’s getting longer. There is not enough time in the day to do all of the things I need to do, the things I want to do and still get enough sleep.

Practicing good time management has become a key phrase in my life.

How do I decide what to do? How do I decide between getting enough sleep, and reading my book for Leadership Track? How do I decide if I go to a bon-fire or finish my “brain dump” homework? I want to have fun, be challenged and grow while I am here, I want to do it ALL.

As I sat with all of this swirling around in my head I was reminded of a guest speaker we had our first week here. Here is the gist of what I got from it: There will be things that you have to say no to so that the important things get a better yes.

I could say yes to everything. I could. I could go to the bonfires, the birthday parties, the ultimate Frisbee games. I could say yes to all my assignments and things that people need help with. They are good things. The only problem is the things that are important, the purpose I came here for would suffer. The important things wouldn’t get getting a yes that is 100%.

Sometimes that’s going to mean shutting off my cell phone so I don’t get distracted while getting my work done. Boundaries like leaving work at work will be put in place. Learning to say yes to rest, and sitting on a dock reading a book for enjoyment.  

I want to develop a life style of knowing what is important. A life style where I know the purpose of the current season of my life is so that I can invest 100% in that. I want to be able to say a better yes instead of a tired sleepy yes.