My love of the humble notebook and pen is well documented on this blog as my favourite organising tool ever. It captures all the bits and pieces so that our minds are clear(er), helps us organise our tasks and plan so that we have enough time for the things that matter.
But after that, my most favourite time management tool is simply saying no.
Not to be dramatic at all but learning to say no will give you enough time, actually MORE than enough time, for all the things you want to do, and do well.
When you learn to say no, and get comfortable wielding that tool, you’ll be able to create time for your passions, purpose, hobbies, relationships, your self.
Most importantly, you get to say yes to the things that matter to you.
Read the quote below. Three times even. It’s that good (and is my new favourite time management quote).
She’s talking about people who can say no.
It’s not (only) about saying no to other people. It’s probably more important to know what to say no to in your own life.
A few examples…
- No, now is not a good time to commit to a ministry that requires a weekly commitment. Try monthly.
- No, you need to focus on the kids now and your career later. Or it’s time to focus on your career now instead of being Pinterest Mom.
- No, you need to focus on your sleeping patterns now … and stop watching TV/ surfing blogs so late.
- No, you need to deactivate Facebook 🙂 and Pinterest and focus on creating your own home that works for you.
Only you know what you need to say no to…. but if you don’t know, the quicker you do some soul-searching, the happier you’re going to be about the choices you’ve made.
On a scale of 1 – 10, how well do you know what you’re saying no to these days?
Are you able to wield your “saying no” tool well, or do you need to practise?
Oh gosh Marcia – I do find saying no very hard. Some things are easy -Tv, social media over weekends, etc. Some are harder -school commitments and parties kids really want to go to.
I think we all do but I promise you it gets easier the more you do it… for the right reasons.
Re the kids things, remember that we’re also teaching them the essential life skill of prioritising, and it’s important for them to see us living out a semblance of a life that doesn’t revolve around them too.
E.g from just today – I had a conversation with my two about how we can’t go to two parties on the same day because we have to go to church. So I told them to discuss it and decide which one they BOTH want to go to because Daddy and I are not going to be driving around each with one child. So they discussed as we drove to school and I think Kendra’s winning that round….
And then I told them I won’t see them at supper time because I’m going to have supper with Aunty Caren. Why? I said, “because she is my friend and it’s important to me to spend time with my friends too” 🙂