Say ‘NO’ for good Time Management. Should You? A contraian view

Say ‘NO’ for good Time Management. Should You? A contraian view

In ‘Time Management Workshops’ we are told that we should say ‘No’ to tasks dumped on us by others. Various reasons are given for why we say yes to unreasonable demands on our time by others, and why we should guard ourselves against succumbing to such demands.

Let’s look at this from a different perspective and see if saying ‘NO’ is such a good policy!

First, here is an interaction I had with a participant in a workshop on ‘Time Management’.

Recently, I conducted a workshop on ‘Time Management’for about 100 teachers in a very prestigious school. Like all my brethren trainers, I also told the participants that they should learn to say ‘NO’ to demands put on their time by others.

One of the participating teachers got up and said, “You say that we should say ‘NO’ to the demands put on our time by others. But, how do I say ‘NO’ to our principal? Invariably she assigns so much extra work to me!”

We all had a good laugh about it because even the principal was one of the participants and was present in the hall!

Here is the interaction which took place with this teacher after the laughter had subsided.

I said, “Agreed Madam that your principal puts you to lot of inconvenience when she gives additional work to you. But, are you able to do these extra assignments give by your principal?”

“Where is the choice? I have to do it.” She said.

“So, you complete these extra assignments also in addition to your regular duty.”

“Yes”. She said. And, she said it with some pride!

“Let’s do some role reversal. Let’s assume that you are the principal and you have to assign some urgent extra assignment to somebody. To whom will you give this assignment? The first person you see in the corridor or the person you are confident will be able to do the work?”

“Obviously I will give it to somebody who I am confident will be able to carry out the assignment.”She said.

“What is your principal thinking about you when she decides to give extra assignments to you? With this confidence that you will be able to finish the assignment or are you generally the first person she sees in the corridor?”

“That, I will be able to complete the assignment.” She said.

“So, in a way your principal is expressing her confidence in you.”

“Yes.” She said.

And, suddenly full import of what she had said dawned on her and many others.

Not only her, many other teachers too exclaimed almost simultaneously, “We never thought of it like this!”

You see, when someone approaches you for some help, it is with this faith and confidence in you that at that point of time and for that assignment you are the person he/she can count upon.

Will you let this person down and send a message that you are not really the kind of person who can be counted on?

You decide!

Secondly, here is a universal law which all our farmers know and have been using it ever since man started agriculture.

It says: YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW!

In our case, if I am sowing the seeds of ‘NO’, today what am going to reap tomorrow when I need some help from others?

Obviously, ‘NO’.

Also, please keep in mind the next law which says: YOU REAP MORE THAN YOU SOW.

In our case, it means that if I say (sow) ‘No’ today, I will hear (reap) ‘NO’ ten times tomorrow.

Should you put yourself in such a situation?

You decide?

So, every time you say ‘NO’ to somebody today you also risk hearing it many times over tomorrow.

Would you like to be in such a situation?

You decide.

Thirdly, once I saw a really interesting video clip on ‘Time Management’ by Zig Ziglar. In this video clip he poses a question to the audience: When you are going on a vacation the next day, do you end up doing more, less or same amount of work as compared to your average daily output?

Majority answer: More Work in the same amount of time as compared to average daily output.

What did change today that you could do more work? He poses this question to the audience. Just the mindset, he also provides the answer.

So the conclusion he says is that any average person can do much more work in the same time with the same facilities by simply changing the mindset.

In fact, he goes on to ask why I can not assume daily that I am going on vacation the next day.

So when my colleague requests me to help him/her out with some extra work, can I change my mindset and accommodate this additional request as well. The choice is mine.

Now, we come back to the above workshop.

‘Even though you complete the work, but you must be feeling angry every time your principal gives you some additional work’ I said.

Yes of course was the reply.

‘Since in any case you complete the work, which situation will be better? Feeling grateful to your principal for the faith and trust she shows in you by giving you additional work or feeling angry and frustrated? And, in which situation you will complete the additional work better and more quickly’

No need to tell the answer she and many others gave to this one!

So, every time my colleague approaches me for some help, I can take it as an his/her expression of faith in me and help him/her out. I can definitely go into vacation mood for the next day and complete this extra assignment as well.

This is the investment I make for my future as well.

But, I am not suggesting that we should keep saying yes to each and every extra demand on my time. It is not possible all the time.

But, when you say No, do you say it this way?

1.  Say No,

2.  Explain why you are saying no, and

3.  Offer an alternate.

 

We conduct such and many other soft skills training programs both on site and on line for industries, educational institutes and individuals. We also offer a few programs like ‘Shine under Stress (Strategies to Succeed in Exams)’, ‘Seven Laws of Teaching’, ‘Student’s Behaviour Management’ etc. pro bono to educational institutes Please write to us at sarwansingh6644@gmail.com or englishacademybaroda@gmail.com or call (91)8866680407 for details..

By

Sarwan Singh

Sarwansingh6644@gmail.com

@sarwan_singh