


Your coworkers and your manager will want you to have a clear idea of what activities will bring the highest return on investment, therefore, it is important to communicate your priorities to them so that they know why you are saying no. If you see that you have multiple priorities and that taking on anymore will cause you to become overwhelmed, then say “no”. Keeping track of your priorities will help you determine if you can take on extra tasks. 2 Know your priorities (and communicate them) Don’t say no until you’re sure you need to.” – Karen Dillon. “Think about what’s on your plate, whether priorities can be shuffled, or whether a colleague could step in to assist you. This is also important to do because it may end up being something that will benefit you and therefore, you may make room for it while putting something else on the backburner.

Then, based on this extra context, you can decide if you can take on this task.īy assessing the opportunity, you are showing the person who is asking you that you want to help, rather than just saying “no” from the get-go. Dillon suggests asking about the deadlines, the importance of the opportunity, and what exactly your job would be. Before jumping to the conclusion that you have to say “no”, ask for more information about the opportunity.
