Work/Life Balance: Just Say “NO!”

“If a 2-year-old can do it, why is it so hard for a grown woman?”

Oprah was talking about saying no. 

Though we know the answer to this question already, it really does help frame the problem. If you don’t have time to do something, say no. If you don’t want to do something (and it isn’t really necessary anyway), say no.  If you feel like you’re being taken advantage of, say no. If you’re simply exhausted, say no. It seems so easy! But we all know it’s not. It’s hard to let other people down and even harder to feel like you aren’t competent of doing everything, and doing it all at the same time. But there’s a reason that you can’t do everything. It’s because you’re probably overextended and no matter how badly you want to be, no one is Super Woman.

So in our opinion, the best way to say no is to ditch the over-the-top excuses. In most cases you don’t even need to offer a “why”; so unless it’s absolutely necessary don’t disclose the reason you’re saying no. A simple “Sorry, I can’t, I have a conflict with that” will suffice the majority of the time.

Remember, saying no to the monotonous duties that you pour on yourself will give you more time to spend advancing your career AND enjoying your family creating a better work/life balance.