Know What to Say 'Yes' to in 2024
Readtime: 3 minutes
As we start this new year, I thought it would be helpful to think about how we can make ‘yes’ / ’no’ decisions in 2024.
Knowing what to say 'yes' to and when to say 'no' is instrumental for being happier and more fulfilled at work and in life.
We don’t have time for everything, but we often say ‘yes’ if we don’t have anything else in our calendars. We do it for work meetings and personal appointments.
But just because your calendar says you’re free doesn’t mean it should be a ‘yes’.
The simple process of aligning decisions to priorities really helps with this. And it also makes it much easier to say ‘no’.
We’re going to cover opportunity costs, prioritisation vs. goals, and making saying ‘no’ easier.
Let’s dive in.
1. Opportunity Costs: The Hidden Factor in Every Decision
Every time we say yes to something, we're effectively saying no to something else.
The opportunity cost is the best alternative thing that we could have done, that we forego.
It comes from economic theory and represents the benefits we miss out on when choosing one alternative over another.
For example, saying ‘yes’ to a work meeting means you can’t spend that time finalising a report and you may have to do it in the evening. Each choice has trade-offs.
Therefore, given we can’t do everything, we want to make sure we’re saying ‘yes’ to the right things.
2. Priorities for Decision Making
Last year, I decided to focus on five priorities:
1. Diet
2. Sleep
3. Exercise
4. My business
5. Relationships
I assessed nearly all decisions as to whether they would help with one or more of them.
I found this to be really impactful as it gave me focus for where I should spend my time.
Having done that for the first-time last year, I’ve recommitted to those priorities for 2024.
I think this approach may work better than setting specific goals, or in the context of the new year, ‘resolutions’. Goals and resolutions are more likely to be specific destinations, whereas priorities are more like a guiding star – continually leading you forward and evolving as you progress.
As every step we take either aligns with our priorities or takes us away, it’s essential to align as many decisions as we can with our core priorities.
This method shifts our decision-making from being reactive, based on the whims of the moment, to being proactive and purpose-driven. It's not just about agreeing to things randomly because we have some time; it's about actively contributing to our priorities.
In my own journey, I assess how each decision aligns with my five key priorities. Whenever I'm presented with an opportunity, I ask myself: Does this enhance my personal health? Will it positively impact my business? Does it strengthen my relationships? If the answer is ‘yes’, it's more likely to be a green light.
3. Mastering the Art of Saying 'No'
Saying ‘no’ is an underrated art and a crucial part of our decision-making toolkit.
In our fast-paced world, where being busy is often mistaken for being productive, saying ‘no’ becomes pivotal.
But why is it so hard?
For many of us, there's a genuine fear of missing out. We worry about lost opportunities or the potential impact on our relationships and image. The desire to be liked and perceived as cooperative can often lead us to stretch ourselves too thin.
I've realised that mastering the art of saying ‘no’ is less about setting personal boundaries and more about understanding our priorities.
When we are clear on our priorities, it makes it much easier to say ‘no’ to things that don’t align, which means we have more time for the things that do.
We find it much easier to say ‘no’ when we have a reason. But very often we rely on our calendar to give us that reason – if we don’t have anything else on we feel that our default answer should be ‘yes’.
But when we are clear on our priorities, we have a reason for saying ‘no’ when something doesn’t align. It doesn’t matter whether we have something else on or not. We know that we’re going to be better off spending that time on an activity that does contribute to our priorities.
For example, saying something like the following becomes much easier:
“Thank you for the invitation, however, I’m spending this [day/week/month] focusing on my [health priorities/a particular project at work/spending time with my family] and so I won’t be able to do this.”
Or, more informally:
“Thanks, you know I’m really trying to focus on [my health/my work/my family] at the moment so unfortunately I will have to pass.”
Note that I don’t think this is about only saying ‘yes’ to those things that do align to our priorities, as there will obviously be other things we haven’t thought about that we want to do when the opportunity arises. But being much more intentional about what we say ‘yes’ to will mean we spend more time on our priorities, which will make us happier and more fulfilled.
That’s it!
In Summary
Congratulations, you now know:
Opportunity costs help us make mindful choices, highlighting the importance of each 'yes’.
Focusing on priorities can guide our decisions more effectively than chasing specific goals.
Being clear on our priorities makes saying 'no' easier, allowing us to commit more fully to what's important.
On a personal note
One decision I repeatedly came back to in 2023 was to whether I would drink alcohol.
As a result of running the decision through my five priorities, I drank on far fewer occasions in 2023 than in 2022 (a ⅔ reduction).
Whilst I enjoy a drink, and in a lot of circumstances it helps with my ‘Relationships’ priority, it doesn’t help with my other four priorities.
Realising this, and actively thinking about it when faced with a decision, meant I felt much more confident and happy in my decisions of when to drink alcohol in 2023.
One quote to get you going
"The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything."
- Warren Buffett
If you have thoughts on this or other ways to make better decisions, I would love to hear them at coaching@mostynwilson.com.
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