I Just Said “No” to Taking on More

Like a lot of people, I have trouble saying “no”—especially in two scenarios: (1) anything work-related, and (2) when I think the person asking will be especially disappointed by my response.

My worst nightmare is when those two intersect—which is exactly the situation I found myself in earlier this week.

The truth is, I’ve been struggling to keep up with all my responsibilities while still giving myself enough time to recharge.

In other words, I’ve been at my max. Actually, past my max—as many of the things I’d like to prioritize have been slipping through the cracks in order to meet obligations that don’t really align with my future goals.

Something has needed to change, but I’ve been putting it off. The thought of disappointing my boss—even though the payoff of helping her out by taking on extra tasks is nearly non-existent for me—would always send waves of discomfort through my body.

But this week, I finally put my foot down. When she asked me to take on another simple but time-consuming task, I finally said “no.”

And it sucked.

As expected, she was upset and felt let down—and I can’t really blame her. After all, she’d grown used to me saying “yes” to everything over the past year.

But the important thing is: I still did it. And despite the discomfort, it felt good. 

And I now feel empowered to keep saying “no” when added tasks aren’t feasible.

I still have a lot of work to do in prioritizing what matters most to me—and what aligns with the life I ultimately want to build.

But this was a small win. A step in the right direction.

Let’s keep going.