The Productivity Question I Always Get Asked

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.

A couple weeks ago I had a book signing for my new book, Listful Living: A List-Making Journey to a Less Stressed You. It was a great event and you can check out this video right here for a look at what it was like and hear from readers of the book about what they loved most! A big shout out to Micah Joel for shooting and editing this great video! 

My favorite part of book signings is always the Q&A. 

It gives me a chance to find out what listmakers are worrying about!

A great question that was brought up was what to do when you’re saying yes too much? 

Boy do I know what that feels like! 

It’s an easy trap to fall in. We want to do more and get involved in what’s out there. But there are limits and when we run from event to event we end up:

1. Feeling burnt out or overwhelmed. 
2. Not enjoying the events or commitments that we say yes to.

I’ve written about this topic before, and there are examples of how to combat this in Listful Living.

But the core thesis being that you should take a “Spark Joy” approach. Do you really want to go to this event? Or do you think it will be really beneficial to you? 

For example, you may not want to go to your Mom’s neighborhood Christmas party, but if it means a lot to her then it’s worth going. 

Similarly I’m very picky with the networking events I agree to go to. I’d rather go to a few quality events than hit a target number of events per month. 

It’s all about being in alignment with your priorities and goals. 

Although it’s easy for me to say that, putting these rules into practice is not quite as easy.

Let’s use my book signing as an example. 

Quite a few people RSVP’d that they’d be attending the signing. But they never showed or canceled at the last minute. 

I understand how life happens. You have the best of intentions to make it to an event and then a million things work against you. 

However many of those people were never going to make it to the book signing. It would have been better if they just said no from the beginning. It alleviates stress for them and for me too. 

When it comes to invites, I believe, like Marie Kondo’s “Spark Joy” idea you need to make a snap decision then and there when you’re first asked.

Really go with your gut instinct on this one. 

Maybe you kind of want to go, but you’ve got too much going on? Don’t do it. Say no.  

If you’re really busy, but you also really want to go to something you have to decide which is your priority and adjust your schedule accordingly.

We want to say yes, we want to be helpful and show up but it’s more important to be realistic. 

Throughout Listful Living there are many exercises designed to help you get better at prioritizing your schedule and knowing when to say no.

 The exercises give you a chance to practice setting boundaries and being more strict with your free time, until it starts to feel natural. 

If you do pick up a copy of the book I’d love it if you’d leave an Amazon review! It would be so great to see what you think.

BONUS FREEBIE: Want even more ways to stay organized, productive and less stressed? Click here to get access to my List-Making Starter Kit. It will boost your efficiency and get you back to doing more of the things you love.