It’s far too easy to become overloaded between work and home responsibilities. I found the advice that Bruce Tulgan, founder of the management training firm RainmakerThinking, shared a compelling reminder that when we’re saying no, we’re really preparing ourselves to give our best yes later on.
Our default response when someone asks us to do something tends to be a resounding yes. It’s only later that the remorse, or worse the guilt, sets in when we realize we won’t be able to follow-through on what we’ve said yes to. Eager to establish myself in the profession, I fell victim to overcommitting myself when opportunities came up. When I went back to school for my EdD, I soon realized that saying yes to everything meant even more time away from my husband and hobbies. There simply wasn’t enough hours in the day.
Our experiences of living and working during a global pandemic has exacerbated an imbalance that for many has persisted for most, if not, all of their careers. Tulgan argues that we should carefully evaluate each opportunity and make decisions based on what we’ll enjoy doing and where we’ll be able to add value.
I consider a series of questions when asked to do something or someone offers me an opportunity:
- Am I the best person to do this work? As an administrator, I first consider if this work is something that can or should be delegated. Would offering this to someone on my team challenge them in new ways? Do they have critical expertise to contribute, in ways that I don’t?
- What’s the deadline to do this work? I plan out my weeks and months to ensure that I have the time needed to get work done. When something new comes up, I consider how this new work fits within the other work I have planned.
- How much of a priority is this work? If this work is a higher priority for the organization or for me, then I consider how to restructure my time so I can accomplish the work.
- How will I benefit from doing this work? I seek out opportunities to enhance my skill set and to learn about aspects of librarianship that I have less familiarity with. Considering how I’ll benefit helps me to suss out whether the experience will be engaging and keep me motivated.
Taking the time to ask myself these questions helps me to give my best yes to a project or task. To me, my best yes signals that I’m excited to take this work on, I’m engaged and invested in a successful outcome, and most importantly I can create the time to prioritize this work as needed.
How can you get to your best yes?