In this episode of Empire Building, our Empire Builders dive into something that many of their listeners experience: overscheduled lives.
As we cut out long drive times and increase productivity due to working from home, it becomes easier to add more to your plate than you need to. We focus today on how to get past the overworked feeling that can result, and show you how to become the best version of yourself. This starts with saying no.
For Seychelle, it takes physical willpower for her to say no. Because of this struggle, and as a result of saying yes too much, she may not be available to say yes to the things that matter the most. The most precious natural resource we have is time. In the world of empire building, time is something everyone has in common. We all have the same 24-hours in a day and we don’t get it back. How we spend our time is worth more than money or gold.
Empire builders and entrepreneurs are often talented individuals that can be good at just about everything, therefore, we may feel it’s easier to say yes more than we need to. In her own experiences, Sarah had a large list of things she needed to start saying no to. While saying yes feels great to many of us, the reality is that it can backfire and end up prolonging your vision.
Say No to Say Yes Exercise
No one person can have or do it all.
- Even the richest person in the world can’t have it all.
- You have to make choices with your 24 hours in a day; you can’t do it all.
- About 10,000 new books are published a year; you can’t know it all.
What you want to have, what you want to do, and what you learn determines your life.
Empire Builders have to decide what they do wisely because time is limited. Pull out your old photos and save the ones that bring you joy to help guide your reasoning for saying “yes”. Once you’ve looked at your top 5 most important things, make time for them. Then test yourself and take time to look at your weekly schedule and see how much they are on your schedule. This is a great eye opening exercise that can transform your perspective.
How can you do it all?
The answer is that we can’t do it all. You have to track out everything you do daily. This simple task should bring clarity on your overall vision, time, and life. If the things that bring you joy are not on your calendar, you need to reposition yourself to make time for them. Having priorities for the year, the week, and the day allows you to change them as your life changes.
For example, parents need to prioritize their young children. They then start to say no to a lot more things as their kids become their main reason to say yes. Simply put, you may only have 10-12 summers with your kids before they grow up. In order to enjoy them the way you would like to, do not overwhelm yourself, make time for the things that make you happy, and spend your time wisely.
Balance and counterbalance are also key in empire building. This means being all-in with work when you’re at work and being all-in with family during family time. Communicate with your family when you have to work more than you typically do. If work is requiring extra time, it’s vital to explain the long term vision to your family so that they can support you and share in your success.
3 Simple Ways to Say NO More.
- Buy your time back with leverage. Fire yourself from jobs to pay others to do them.
- Quit. If your acts do not line up with your vision, quit the things that don’t help.
- Prioritize. Change where you spend your time.
Saying no can be scary, but you have to prioritize the important things in your life first. Allow others around you to step up and take over the non-priority tasks. You cannot be an overlord who does it all. Empire Builders have to be transparent and communicative with all. Work together with others to change things out when you see that you aren’t essential for everything.
As a leader, your team will reflect what you do. If you are putting business before family, your team will reflect the same. When leaders manage their priorities, their teams will start to do the same just from watching. This can attract talent and also can be a good talent retention method. Others who like and care about how you spend your time will want to follow and be around the same.
Success is not simultaneous, its sequential.
One tip to help you in saying no is to have scripts ready in order to prepare yourself for those situations. Save yourself now from having to save yourself later. On a final note, each of our Empire Builders urge the audience to take a minute to find out what brings you joy, prioritize, and learn how to say “no” when needed.
To hear more from these talented Empire Builders, download the Empire Building podcast today through your podcast app or visit https://go.kw.com/empire-building.
