"I wish I had more time to..." You fill in the blank. The struggle to keep up is constant and sometimes overwhelming, and that statement crops up so often.
One way to find more time is to skirt around the immediate "Yes" or "No" answer. This is not to be wishy-washy but to create some space for making a well-thought-out decision on where to spend your few and precious hours.
When someone recruits you for another committee or leadership position, make it a point to back off and always say, "Let me check my calendar and get back to you." You may decide to accept the request or you may determine that there is no way you can manage it at this time. However the point is that you have allowed yourself space beforehand to reflect on the commitment.
What usually happens instead is that someone presents you with a request to become involved. They may stress your strengths, the importance of the extra job, how much you can contribute; they are pressuring you for an answer right now. In that moment of pressure to respond, you may find yourself acquiescing, only to return home and wonder just how you are going to fit this into your crowded calendar. Backing off temporarily with the "I'll check my calendar and get back to you" statement gives you that breathing space.
Of course, there are simply times when "No" is the correct answer. That would be when adding one more commitment to your calendar means that something else suffers. Then none of the extra activities you have undertaken get the attention due them.
How can you say "No" in a positive manner? Try some of these statements:
- With the commitments I have pending, it wouldn't be fair to them or you if I tried to fit this in at the moment.
- I'm sorry. My schedule is overflowing at the moment. Please try me another time.
- I'm just too swamped right now, but I can offer some suggestions (or point you in the right direction).
Determine your priorities and then choose your extra activities to reflect those priorities. Be sure you do not stretch yourself too far. That creates stress and at the same time may keep you from doing justice to those commitments you have already undertaken. Take that minute's pause and tell them you'll check your calendar.
Copyright © 2007 by Key Organization Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contact Key Organization Systems, Inc. for written permission to reproduce an article.