Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter
December 2004/January 2005
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Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter December 2004/January 2005 |
I don't mean saying NO to drugs or dangerous situations! I mean saying NO to commitments, people you care about, or deadlines that would stress you out.
Over the last month, I've had several clients who were stressed because they were over committed. They had too much to do, but still took on more for fear of not looking good, of "getting in trouble," or just because they were trying to be a "nice" person.
What they didn't realize is that not only were they hurting themselves, but they were also setting themselves up for looking bad, which could lead to the trouble they were trying to avoid or to being perceived as not a nice person!
By saying NO to something, you are giving an opportunity for YES somewhere else. It means there are more opportune things for you to be doing at that time, and it gives someone else the opportunity or challenge to handle whatever it is you declined.
When you say NO instead of YES when you are over committed:
Howard Miller has been training, consulting and coaching for over 15 years. In his extensive work with corporate and individual clients, he brings about in people the ability to supply capability for action. Howard firmly believes that if people were more accountable to themselves, they would have more self-respect, which ultimately leads to a better world. Howard Miller is founder of Howard Miller Consulting at www.hsmillerconsulting.com.
Copyright © 2004 by the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter (www.stc-sf.org). This article may be reprinted in another STC publication under the provisions of the chapter's copyright policy.