Saying "NO" is the Ultimate Productivity Hack.

The greatest productivity hack is to say no.

It is always faster not to do something than to do it. This sentence reminds me of the old computer programming adage, "Remember that no code is quicker than no code."

The same idea applies in various aspects of life. There is no meeting, for example, that moves faster than not having one at all.

This is not to imply you should never attend another meeting again, but the truth is that we often say yes to things we don't want to do. Many meetings are held that are unnecessary. A lot of code has been developed that might be removed.

How frequently do people ask you to do something and you simply say, "Sure thing." Three days later, you're exhausted by the length of your to-do list. We feel frustrated by our commitments, despite the fact that we agreed to them in the first place.

It's worthwhile to consider whether certain items are absolutely necessary. Many of them are not, and a simple “no” will be more productive than whatever work the most efficient individual can generate.

But, if the benefits of saying no are so evident, why do we say yes so frequently?

Why We Say Yes

We agree to numerous requests not because we want to do them, but because we don't want to be perceived as unpleasant, arrogant, or useless. Often, you must consider saying no to someone you will interact with again in the future—your coworker, your spouse, your family, and friends.

Saying no to these folks might be especially tough since we like them and want to help them. (Not to mention, we frequently require their assistance.) Collaborating with others is a crucial aspect of life. The prospect of straining the relationship surpasses the commitment of our time and energy.

As a result, it can be beneficial to be generous in your response. Do whatever favors you can, and be warm-hearted and direct when you have to say no.

Even after accounting for these social issues, many of us appear to have performed a terrible job of managing the tradeoff between yes and no. We find ourselves over-committed to things that don't really benefit or help those around us, and certainly don't better our own lives.

Perhaps one issue is how we think about the meanings of yes and no.

The Difference Between Yes and No

The words "yes" and "no" are used so frequently in comparison to one another that it appears that they have equal weight in discourse. In actuality, they are not only diametrically opposed in meaning, but also in terms of commitment.

When you say no, you are simply saying no to one choice. When you say yes, you are saying no to all other possibilities.

I like how economist Tim Harford expressed it: "Every time we say yes to a request, we are also saying no to whatever else we may do with the time." When you commit to something, you have already decided how that future block of time will be spent.

In other words, saying no saves you time in the long run. Saying yes will cost you time in the future. No is a type of time credit. You can spend your future time as you wish. Yes is a type of time debt. At some point, you must repay your pledge.

No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility.

No's Function

Saying no is sometimes regarded as a luxury that only those in positions of power can afford. And that is true: it is easier to reject down opportunities when you have the safety net of power, money, and authority. However, it is also true that saying no is not only a privilege reserved for the successful among us. It is also a plan that can assist you in being successful.

Saying no is a vital skill to cultivate at any point of your career because it preserves your most valuable asset: your time. As investor Pedro Sorrentino put it, "If you don't guard your time, people will steal it from you."

You must say no to anything that is not guiding you toward your goals. Distractions must be avoided at all costs. According to one reader, “if you extend the notion of how you use no, it actually is the only productivity hack (since you ultimately say no to every distraction in order to be productive).”

Nobody embodied this idea better than Steve Jobs, who said, "People think focus means saying yes to the thing you have to focus on." But that's not what it means at all. It entails saying no to a hundred other good ideas. You must exercise caution when making your selection.”

A delicate balance must be struck here. Saying no does not imply that you will never do anything fascinating, unique, or spontaneous. It just means that you say yes with intent. Once you've eliminated the distractions, it may make sense to say yes to any chance that could potentially propel you in the correct path. You may need to try a variety of things to figure out what works and what you appreciate. This period of investigation is especially vital in the beginning of a project, profession, or career.

Upgrading your No

As you continue to progress and thrive, your plan will need to adapt.

As you become more successful, the opportunity cost of your time rises. At the start, you simply eliminate the apparent distractions and explore the rest. As your talents grow and you learn to distinguish what works from what doesn't, you must constantly raise your threshold for saying yes.

You must continue to say no to distractions, but you must also learn to say no to chances that were previously good uses of time in order to leave room for exceptional uses of time. It's a good problem to have, but it can be a difficult ability to perfect.

To put it another way, you must gradually improve your "no's."

Upgrading your no does not imply that you will never say yes. It simply implies that you default to saying no and only say yes when absolutely necessary. According to investor Brent Beshore, "saying no is extremely significant because it maintains the opportunity to say yes."

The general pattern appears to be as follows: if you can learn to say no to poor distractions, you'll eventually earn the right to say no to excellent possibilities.

How to Say No

Most of us are probably too eager to say yes and too slow to say no. It's worth considering where you lie on that spectrum.

If you have difficulty saying no, the following method offered by Tim Harford, the British economist I mentioned previously, may be useful. He writes, "One trick is to ask yourself, "If I had to do this today, would I agree to it?" It's not a bad rule of thumb to follow, because every future obligation, no matter how distant, will ultimately become an urgent problem.”

If an opportunity excites you enough to stop what you're doing right now, it's a yes. If it isn't, you should reconsider.

This is comparable to Derek Sivers's well-known "Hell Yeah or No" technique. If someone asks you to do something and your immediate instinct is "Hell Yeah!" then do it. If it doesn't excite you, say no.

It's impossible to remember to ask yourself these questions every time you confront a decision, but it's still a helpful exercise to go over from time to time. Saying no can be difficult, but it is often preferable to the alternative. As writer Mike Dariano has pointed out, "it's simpler to avoid obligations than it is to get out of commitments." Saying no keeps you on the easy end of the spectrum.”

What is true for health is also true for productivity: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment.

The Power of No

More effort is wasted doing things that don't matter than is lost doing things inefficiently. And, in that situation, removal is a more useful ability than optimization.

I'm reminded of the classic Peter Drucker adage, "There is nothing so pointless as doing efficiently what should not be done at all."