Learn how to say “no”

No one likes to say “no”.   However, it is an essential skill that one must learn to properly manage their time.   By saying ”yes” to everything, you risk falling into several traps: 1) Not living up to all your promises, 2) Not doing anything well because you are trying to get everything done, 3) Getting burned out by trying to please everyone.

So, how does someone who hates to say no learn how to say it?  First of all you need to change your mindset.  Saying “no” doesn’t make you a bad person.  There is a great article on RealSimple.com that gives several scenarios and how to say no gracefully (http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1149806-1,00.html).  The more you learn to say “no” to the things you need to say no to, the more you can say “yes” to the things that matter most to you.