. “Can I get back to you on that?” or “I need to check my schedule.” Then, ask yourself—Do I have the time, without inconveniencing myself? Do I want to do it? This strategy is especiallyAll too often you might say yes to something you wish you had said, No. Setting boundaries is an important aspect of respecting your time, energy and peace of mind. You have a finite amount of time and energy, if you do not protect it, no one else will.

Sometimes you might be compelled to agree to something to avoid feeling guilty later. Then, you feel resentful or angry. The idea of saying no can be stressful for you. This dilemma is—how do you say no to lower your stress—if saying no increases your stress?—a paradox to be sure. There are four strategies to make saying no easier.

• Change the focus: Ask follow-up questions to show your interest in the person’s needs/wants.

• Give yourself time to contemplate your answer. “Can I get back to you on that?” or “I need to check my schedule.” Then, ask yourself—Do I have the time, without inconveniencing myself? Do I want to do it? This strategy is especially

of time and energy, if you do not protect it, no one else will.

Sometimes you might be compelled to agree to something to avoid feeling guilty later. Then, you feel resentful or angry. The idea of saying no can be stressful for you. This dilemma is—how do you say no to lower your stress—if saying no increases your stress?—a paradox to be sure. There are four strategies to make saying no easier.

• Change the focus: Ask follow-up questions to show your interest in the person’s needs/wants.

• Give yourself time to contemplate your answer. “Can I get back to you on that?” or “I need to check my schedule.” Then, ask yourself—Do I have the time, without inconveniencing myself? Do I want to do it? This strategy is especially

gry. The idea of saying no can be stressful for you. This dilemma is—how do you say no to lower your stress—if saying no increases your stress?—a paradox to be sure. There are four strategies to make saying no easier.

• Change the focus: Ask follow-up questions to show your interest in the person’s needs/wants.

• Give yourself time to contemplate your answer. “Can I get back to you on that?” or “I need to check my schedule.” Then, ask yourself—Do I have the time, without inconveniencing myself? Do I want to do it? This strategy is especially

s to make saying no easier.

• Change the focus: Ask follow-up questions to show your interest in the person’s needs/wants.

• Give yourself time to contemplate your answer. “Can I get back to you on that?” or “I need to check my schedule.” Then, ask yourself—Do I have the time, without inconveniencing myself? Do I want to do it? This strategy is especially

. “Can I get back to you on that?” or “I need to check my schedule.” Then, ask yourself—Do I have the time, without inconveniencing myself? Do I want to do it? This strategy is especially helpful if you have a habit of saying yes without thinking about your schedule or needs.

• When you deliver the ‘no’ response use a positive approach: “I know you are in a bind, but I cannot add anything to my schedule.” Or, “Thank you for your confidence in my ability to take on this project, but, I cannot make another commitment now.”

• Invoke ‘broken record’ technique: If the person is persistent, repeat yourself no more than two times. After the second ‘no’ response, and the person is still persistent, close out the conversation. “I understand this is very important to you, but my answer is no.” Then, excuse yourself and walk away, or end the phone conversation with a pleasant closing statement—such as: “I will talk to you soon,