Someone asks you to do something you don't want to do, yet you agree to do it.
Or someone wants to do something but they need your permission (like one off your kids), so you say yes even though you want to say no.
So why do we do it?
It's usually to avoid bad feelings, friction, or conflict.
Yet the truth is that people won't like you more or give you more respect, if you say yes all the time instead of standing up for what you really want.
And at the same time, saying no is empowering. It won't make you popular, but it will help you to set boundaries of what you will and won't do.
Best of all, you only have to say no once, and it's easy to do it every time after that.
But...you may be wondering what this has to do with writing?
Saying no to things you don't want to do opens up more time for the things you DO want to do and for the things that are important to you.
And that means more time for writing.
Sure your friends will be annoyed with you if you tell them you don't want to go out drinking with them because you want to stay home and work on your novel instead, but who's life is it?
And if anyone pressures you for an immediate answer to something, but you don't want to say yes, or you're unsure, just say "I'll have to think about it." And if they still pressure you tell them "If you want an answer right now, it will have to be no. But if you give me time, I'll think about it." (This works amazingly well with teenagers in the family.) :)
Don't let time-vampires steal any more of your time.
If you'd rather be writing, go and do that and say no to the unimportant things or stuff you'd really rather not do at all.
And if you want more inspiration read the short viral article written by Derek Sivers, "No “yes.” Either “HELL YEAH!” or “no.”
Then get back to writing.
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Discover the writing resources I've used to help me make more money from writing in my latest article for writers, "My Top Ten Writing Resources."
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