Saying "no" is the ultimate productivity hack

Saying "no" is the ultimate productivity hack. It's faster to not do something than to do it, just like how there's no code faster than no code in computer programming. The same applies to other areas of life, such as meetings. While it's not necessary to never attend a meeting again, the truth is that we often say yes to things we don't actually want or need to do. There are plenty of meetings and tasks that could be eliminated. How often do we say "sure thing" when someone asks us to do something, only to become overwhelmed by our to-do list a few days later? We end up frustrated by our obligations, even though we were the ones who said yes in the first place.

It's important to question whether things are necessary, as many of them aren't. In such cases, saying "no" is often more productive than even the most efficient person's work. Despite this, we still tend to say "yes" more often than not. So why do we do it if the benefits of saying "no" are so clear?

Why We Say "Yes" ?

Often, we agree to requests not because we actually want to do them, but because we don't want to come across as rude, arrogant, or unhelpful. This is especially difficult when it comes to people we interact with regularly, like co-workers, family, and friends. We may feel a sense of obligation to support them, and the thought of straining the relationship can be overwhelming.

To navigate these situations, it's important to be gracious in our responses. We should do what favors we can and be direct yet warm-hearted when we have to say no. However, even with these social considerations in mind, many of us struggle to manage the tradeoff between saying yes and saying no. We end up overcommitted to things that don't really improve our lives or support those around us.

This may be partly due to how we think about the meaning of "yes" and "no."

The Difference Between "Yes" and "No"

The words "yes" and "no" are often used in comparison, but they carry different weights in conversation. Saying "no" is a rejection of one option, while saying "yes" means rejecting all other options.

Economist Tim Harford explains it well: "Every time we say yes to a request, we are also saying no to anything else we might accomplish with the time." By committing to something, we've already decided how that future block of time will be spent.

In other words, saying "no" saves time in the future, while saying "yes" costs time. "No" is a form of time credit, allowing us to spend our future time as we please. "Yes" is a time debt, obligating us to fulfill our commitment at some point.

Ultimately, "no" is a decision, while "yes" is a responsibility.

The Role of "No"

Saying no is often perceived as a privilege reserved for the powerful, but in reality, it is a skill that anyone can develop and use to achieve success.

By saying no, you can protect your most valuable asset: time. As investor Pedro Sorrentino pointed out, if you don't guard your time, others will steal it from you. Saying no to distractions and anything that doesn't align with your goals is essential.

Steve Jobs exemplified this approach, explaining that focus is not about saying yes to everything, but rather saying no to the many good ideas that compete for your attention. By carefully selecting what to say yes to, you can prioritize your efforts and make the most of your time.

Of course, saying no does not mean never taking risks or exploring new opportunities. It simply means being intentional and focused in your decision-making. By eliminating distractions and honing in on what matters most, you can say yes to the things that will truly move you forward. This process of experimentation and discovery is especially important early on in a project, job, or career.

Upgrading Your "No"

As you progress and achieve more success, your approach to saying no should also evolve.

As you become more successful, the opportunity cost of your time rises. Initially, you may simply eliminate obvious distractions and explore other possibilities. However, as your skills improve and you learn to distinguish between what works and what doesn't, you must continually increase your threshold for saying yes.

You still need to reject distractions, but you must also learn to turn down opportunities that were once good uses of your time in order to make room for excellent ones. It's a good problem to have, but it can be difficult to master.

In other words, you must upgrade your ability to say no over time.

Upgrading your "no's" does not imply that you will never say yes. Instead, you should default to saying no and only say yes when it makes absolute sense. To quote investor Brent Beshore, "Saying no is so powerful because it preserves the opportunity to say yes."

The general trend appears to be this: If you can say no to bad distractions, you will eventually earn the right to say no to good opportunities.

How to Say "No"

Many of us may tend to say yes too quickly and no too slowly. It's important to reflect on which side of the spectrum we fall on.

If saying no is difficult for you, you might find Tim Harford's strategy helpful. He suggests asking yourself, "If I had to do this today, would I agree to it?" This can serve as a useful rule of thumb because any future commitment, no matter how distant, will eventually become an urgent issue.

This strategy is similar to Derek Sivers' well-known "Hell Yeah or No" approach. If someone asks you to do something and your initial reaction is "Hell Yeah!", then go for it. If it doesn't excite you, then it's probably best to decline.

While it may be challenging to remember to ask yourself these questions every time you're faced with a decision, it's still a worthwhile exercise to revisit periodically. Saying no can be difficult, but it's often easier than dealing with the consequences of overcommitting. As writer Mike Dariano has observed, "It's easier to avoid commitments than to get out of commitments. Saying no keeps you closer to the easy end of this spectrum."

Just as with health, the same holds true for productivity: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The Power of "No"

According to the author, it is more wasteful to spend time on things that are not important than to do things inefficiently. Therefore, the skill of elimination is more valuable than the skill of optimization.

This idea is reminiscent of a quote from Peter Drucker, which states, "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all."