Lately, the number of books I have been reading has tripled. At any given point in time, I am reading three books. Some are for inspiration, some for relaxation, and some, for my growth as a coach. I recently read Michael Bungay Stanier’s The Coaching Habit. Michael lists seven questions that will help coaches, managers, and leaders have meaningful, outcome-based conversations devoid of fluff.

One of the questions he proposed resonated with me. I often hear people talking about how busy they are. As though it is a sign of achievement. It’s not. Being too busy shows me that you don't feel comfortable saying No or struggle to manage your time effectively. The busyness is caused by us not them. The question that stood out (and is now the title of this blog) was simple: If you are saying Yes to this, what are you saying No to?

Asking this simple question of yourself or your team should get the creative juices flowing. It reminds us that we only have a set amount of capacity and capability to get things done. We must prioritize our work, spending the limited time we have available each day working on what matters. My question is how do you know what is important enough to say Yes to and where you should be spending your time?

When working with my clients, I ask them to create a list of all the things they do in a month. I then ask them to plot each action into the calendar at their normally scheduled times. Including meetings, work to be done, family responsibilities, and personal commitments. Next, I ask them to set up time in their calendar for the things they wish they could be doing, regardless of if they overlap the existing commitments. Lastly, I get them to write a list of the things that are not their regular commitments but that keep popping up. I ask them to overlay these on the calendar. We now have a clear, albeit messy picture of preventing us from getting to the things we are supposed to be doing and love doing. It also, on occasion, shows just how much free time we could be using to get things done instead of telling people how busy we are.

Now that there is a picture of what is going on, I can ask Michael Bungay Stanier’s question; If you are saying Yes to this, What are you saying No to?

Time is precious, I don’t know anyone who has found a way to add an extra hour to the day. Treat your time, and others with respect. Make sure that there is value in the time you allocate to getting things done. Each hour should yield a result and the results you are looking for. If you are not getting this, you need to ask yourself why.