In the unlikely event that you’re fed up with taking on commitments the way Joey from FRIENDS binges on pizza, best-selling author, Jay Papasan, has got your back!

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Boundaries, say hello to real estate agents:

Mr. Papasan empathizes with the plight of real estate professionals – or, as he prefers to call them, “the unexpected counselors, therapists, time-management gurus, and space wizards rolled into one” – who are accustomed to working ’round the clock. He proposes setting strict time boundaries to improve work efficiency.

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Dialogue MVP, ‘NO’:

Despite the negativity associated with the term, Papasan suggests using ‘No’ more often. You read that right. ‘No’ is apparently the new ‘Yes’! Declining extra tasks can miraculously free up time for other personally meaningful endeavors.

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Introducing delicate to direct:

Papasan, seemingly a connoisseur of the ‘No’ art form, proposes various ways of saying ‘No’. Whether you fancy ‘delicate’ or ‘direct’, there’s something for everyone!

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Shoutout to energy vampires:

Papasan vividly paints certain people as ‘energy vampires’ who can drain your vitality (and no, garlic necklaces will not help). The solution? Discern who’s truly worth your time (and blood) and be okay with saying, ‘No’ to the rest.

Final Take:

Unleashing your inner Gandalf:

In a world where the lines between work, personal life, and saving Middle Earth often blur, understanding the power of a firm ‘NO’ is downright liberating. Think of it as you being Gandalf (minus the magical staff and the smoking pipe) shouting “You shall not pass!” to anything that tries to intrude on your time or energy.

As spooky as they sound, adopting strategies to keep ‘energy vampires’ at bay isn’t half bad. The next time you encounter one, think of deflecting them as you would a real vampire – silver bullets or garlic may not come in handy, but your firm boundaries and the glorious power of ‘No’ will.

It seems Jay Papasan wants us all to become vampires – not in the sense of living forever and having a peculiar diet, but to embrace the need to guard our time and energy fiercely. As any seasoned real estate agent will tell you, that’s prime estate right there! And if you are someone who finds it harder to say ‘No’ than getting your cat to walk on a leash, his tactics should make for a fun little project. Happy ‘No’-ing!

Original article: https://www.inman.com/2023/12/02/11-ways-to-say-no-without-actually-having-to-say-no/