"No," said my friend when she was asked to spend another evening as a volunteer.
It is a cause in which she passionately believes. She is exceptionally qualified to perform the service. She is confident in her abilities. She rarely says "no."
By saying "no" my friend is in control of her time and talents. I am proud of her!
Here are some ways we can keep control of our lives:
- Decide what is most important in life. If good health is a high priority, we will want to have enough time to plan and prepare appropriate meals. When family is truly important to us, we will want to include activities that celebrate our precious time together. Pre-selecting worthy volunteer efforts assures our being able to dedicate our time and talents to those causes.
- Budget time. Determine ahead of time how much time can be allotted to volunteer activities on a weekly or monthly basis. Carefully evaluate whether demands on this time are out of whack.
- Consult the calendar. Others find it less offensive when you respond, "My calendar is full," or "I'm afraid there is not time in the schedule." Telling others we don't have time for something infers we don't have time for them.
- Let NO help you. During a volunteer-rich time in my life (in plain-speak, it was just plain busy), I wrote the word NO on the corner on each page of my calendar and highlighted it. This was the first word I saw when I consulted the calendar. Somehow it gave me permission to refrain from taking on more than I had time to do well.
How are you doing with managing your time and talents? Let me know by responding to my blog.
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