No? What Is This Word "No"?

Most people fall into one of two categories. Either they have a hard time saying "yes" to anything, or they find it impossible to say "no."

I'm in the latter group. What can I say? I like to help people. I enjoy volunteering at my kids' school and I adore pitching in with my local writers' group, MVRWA.

Lynn at Place to Create: Connecting Stories wrote a terrific post last week about her experience at Breaknorth Canada 2011. One line in particular stood out for me. "The reality is that when I say Yes to a new task, I'm saying No to another, and pushing my priorities down."

Yeah, I get that. Sometimes we should say no instead of yes. Since my professional goal is to be a published author, I need to carefully weigh each volunteer opportunity before making a decision. Since my personal goal is to raise great kids, I cannot only weigh volunteer opportunities based on my writing.

Here is one way I aim (and never completely succeed!) to keep my volunteer commitments at a manageable level.

I write every volunteer commitment for the current year on an index card and slip it into my small day planner.

My rule? The card can only have writing on one side. When the white space is used up--I have to say no.

This helps me choose the activities I enjoy the most and which are tuned into my goals.

If you have a hard time saying no, what tricks do you use to keep your commitments realistic?
Have a fabulous Wednesday!

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