I follow blogs and podcasts from Peter Attia, MD. If you are interested in hearing a podcast that gets into the nitty gritty details of longevity – his podcast The Drive, is all about the Science and Art of Longevity. Be forewarned though, his podcasts do not shy away from basic science/research/medical jargon and are heavy on the science. I love it. It speaks the language of my training.
I mention him today because his most recent blog offered up an idea that I believe will be a game-changer idea for women who struggle to prioritize themselves – The No Journal. So many of the women I coach have a really hard time saying No, even when they are already fully aware they are overwhelmed and sleep deprived.
The power of saying “No,” is not a new concept. Nor is the idea that when you say yes to an activity you are also saying no to other activities.
Keep a No Journal for 30 – 60 days and track, as Dr Attia suggests, “all the asks I said no to… and how much time it opened up for the future.”
Keeping a journal, specific for when you say No, is such a great idea. It helps you track reclaimed time in the future… time that would otherwise have been spent on the activity you said no to. Brilliant. That reclaimed No time, is in a way, free-time. It has been prioritized, based on your values and goals. So instead of finding yourself at a charity dinner to help save the whales – something your best friends’ wifes’ first cousin is passionate about – you are sharing some quality time with your daughter.
Here’s what to do. Whenever someone asks you to do something and you say No, write that request down – give it a date. A simple one liner of the request, perhaps who made it, and the date you gracefully declined. Just start a list – perhaps on your phone or a page in your calendar. Then ‘ghost’ out the time you would have taken to keep the commitment if you had said yes. This is time you have reclaimed for your future self. This is also the activity that you would have been saying No to had you said yes to the request.
With time you may find that people are making fewer requests, as your priorities become clear to everyone as well as yourself and you may find you actually free up time for your future self to do the things you deem truly important.
A No Journal, what a great tool for uncovering the power of ‘No.’ Give it a try. Don’t say no to this game changer idea.
Have a fantastic week,
Live Life, Love Life, Always
Dr Karen
