A learning from another writer, around “Say Yes to Less”
“Are you busy?” seems to be one of the most common questions people ask socially and around work. “I’m active” is my answer, as I talked about with my friend Kay Scorah on yesterday’s weekly WhatComesNext.Live show.
Kay and I seem to have a similar approach. We are always active, but not often busy. When we are not working directly with clients, we are active, reading, listening, learning for our minds, as well as being active in our bodies and spirit.
I am active from when I wake in the morning until I sleep at night, my mind, my body, always active. Am I “busy” though? In terms of “paid work”, no, I am not “busy”. I could easily double or more the amount of clients I work with and still fit them into the diary, but I choose not to.
So many of the clients I work with though, are busy, so one of the first and continuing things they work with me on around their leadership, performance and effectiveness is how to consciously build their work and life structure so they work on what’s important more than what is urgent.
I come back again and again to topics related to this in my daily writing, but today let me add a learning from another writer, around “Say Yes to Less“.
First, a few blogs on “busy” you may wish to peruse:
Now, to the idea of “Say Yes to Less”.
This comes from Derek Sivers, who has written a book called “Hell Yeah or No“. I first heard of Derek many years ago as he created the now-famous “lone nut” video to illustrate the power of the “first follower” in creating a movement, that brave person who gets up and joins the lone “fool” dancing to the music in a crowd that is passively sitting on a hillside listening. (see the base of the blog for that video).
I had not until recently heard of his thoughts on “Hell Yeah”, but I wrote a blog around the phrase “Hell Yeah” back in 2018 called: “Move your “NO” to “HELL YEAH!”.
Though I do love the idea of “Hell Yeah”, my particular blog was much more focussed on removing your blocks, your procrastination around taking action. Derek Sivers, however, in “Hell Yeah or No”, is about consciously creating a structure that allows you space to truly commit, passionately, to the things that make you say not just “yes”, but “Hell Yeah!”.
The following is a chapter from his book (that you can buy in full from his site), and links back to my thoughts above on being “active” rather than being “busy”.
I hope this blog and Derek’s thoughts give you pause to look to say yes to less.
If you’re not feeling “hell yeah!” then say no
Most of us have lives filled with mediocrity. We said yes to things that we felt half-hearted about.So we’re too busy to react when opportunities come our way. We miss out on the great because we’re busy with the mediocre.
The solution is to say yes to less.
If you’re not feeling “Hell yeah, that would be awesome!” about something, say no.
It’s an easier decision. Say no to almost everything. This starts to free your time and mind.
Then, when you find something you’re actually excited about, you’ll have the space in your life to give it your full attention. You’ll be able to take massive action, in a way that most people can’t, because you cleared away your clutter in advance. Saying no makes your yes more powerful.
Though it’s good to say yes when you’re starting out, wanting any opportunity, or needing variety, it’s bad to say yes when you’re overwhelmed, over-committed, or need to focus.
Refuse almost everything. Do almost nothing. But the things you do, do them all the way.
From “Hell Yeah or No“, by Derek Sivers
In closing, as promised, the quite awesome Derek Sivers “lone nut” video: