{"id":1211,"date":"2013-03-07T22:00:03","date_gmt":"2013-03-08T04:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/?p=1211"},"modified":"2024-01-14T08:39:17","modified_gmt":"2024-01-14T14:39:17","slug":"8-ways-to-say-no-at-work-without-feeling-guilty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/8-ways-to-say-no-at-work-without-feeling-guilty\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Say No at Work &#8211; Without Feeling Guilty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"meta-desc\">Inside: Do you have trouble saying no at work? Here are a few tips that will help you say no and bring a little more balance to your life. Our loved ones deserve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My cube-mate Jenny said something a few weeks ago that surprised the heck out of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She has a <strong>wicked long<\/strong> commute, so in order to pick up her sweet baby boy from daycare before they close, she has to leave the office at a very specific time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You know how that goes. Meetings run over, your boss needs something by the end of the day, people stop by your desk to share a laugh about <a title=\"Goats Yelling Like Humans - Super Cut Compilation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PpccpglnNf0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">goats who sound like people screaming<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The world conspires against you, and you&rsquo;re rarely out the door when you want or need to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what did Jenny say to me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&ldquo;I feel like you do a great job balancing work and home.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id1211_364d18-2c .kb-table-of-content-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id1211_364d18-2c .kb-table-of-contents-title-wrap{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id1211_364d18-2c .kb-table-of-contents-title{font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;text-transform:uppercase;}.kb-table-of-content-nav.kb-table-of-content-id1211_364d18-2c .kb-table-of-content-wrap .kb-table-of-content-list{font-weight:regular;font-style:normal;margin-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;}<\/style>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-old-me\">The Old Me<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I&rsquo;ve been at the same company for more than 16 years. As a young&rsquo;un, I would work all hours of the day and night when I had a big project to get done. I still <strong>remember one night<\/strong> where I worked straight through to 6:00 in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On my way out the door to head home for a quick shower and costume change, I ran into all the early birds just arriving for the start of their work day. Early birds with rather large eyes at the sight of me just leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-tired-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"crash &amp; burn\" class=\"wp-image-1256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-tired-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-tired.jpg 200w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-tired-194x292.jpg 194w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-tired-132x200.jpg 132w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-tired.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/evilerin\/3216371508\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Evil Erin<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>When I came back from my maternity leave after having my first child, I had a <strong>completely new<\/strong> role at the company. I felt like I had to prove myself. I came back as a 20-hour part-time employee, but I would regularly find myself working from home while the baby and the rest of the world were sleeping. So week after week, I racked up 25, 30, even 40 hours a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I bumped up my part-time status to 25 hours, and my total hours for each week bounced around 40-45. I went up to getting paid for 30 hours a week, and my norm climbed to at least 50. <strong>Even my boss<\/strong> told me to stop working so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, I was just SO. FREAKING. TIRED. All the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My problem? I had no boundaries. When opportunity came knocking, I just didn&rsquo;t know how to say no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-turning-point\">A Turning Point<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Around the time I admitted defeat and became a 40-hour-a-week employee again, the company required all employees to get a health risk assessment at our on-site health clinic. A nurse would check our blood pressure, glucose, and BMI. And then the company would tally up all our stats so they could tell us how much money we&rsquo;re costing everyone by being so sedentary and unhealthy and oh by the way, could we cut out that daily visit to the vending machine for a Honey Bun and Mountain Dew?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>My appointment was on a Wednesday at 9:00 am. That morning, I was running late getting my 3-year-old out the door to drop her off at daycare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I pleaded with her to <strong>hurry up<\/strong>, even though it was ME who pressed the snooze button and got us off track to start with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After I had to nag her bite-by-bite to eat her breakfast, she didn&rsquo;t like what she was wearing and wanted to change. I took a deep breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I called her in to brush her teeth, she was building something with her blocks and wanted to finish. I said, <em>No, we have to do it now. Mommy has an appointment.<\/em> She drug her feet, then I brushed her teeth super fast and probably a little rougher than usual.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"292\" src=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hurry-300x292.jpg\" alt=\"96th Street subway, uptown side\" class=\"wp-image-1272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hurry-300x292.jpg 300w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hurry-299x292.jpg 299w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hurry-200x195.jpg 200w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hurry.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hurry.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/yourdon\/4021518793\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ed Yourdon<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>We <strong>finally<\/strong> got in the car, and I buckled her in. Then she remembered it was show-and-tell day at school, and she forgot to pick something out to bring. I said, loudly this time, <em>No, we don&rsquo;t have time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we got to school, she was still crying. And I was beyond annoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She was clingy, of course, because her mom was being a TOTAL ASS to her, and she was looking for reassurance that she was still loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I just wanted to get <strong>out the door<\/strong> and to my appointment before I was too late. So for the first time since the month she started daycare as an infant, I walked away while she was still crying for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-cost-of-a-vial-of-blood\">The Cost of a Vial of Blood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Exactly 90 seconds after I got in the car and started driving away from the daycare, my child wasn&rsquo;t the only one crying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What the hell was I doing? Treating my only child like crap, just to make it to a stupid appointment. An appointment I could <strong>easily<\/strong> reschedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I barely got it together by the time I pulled into the parking lot at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I made it to the appointment just 5 minutes late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The minute the nurse slapped a cotton ball and band-aid over the pinprick in the crook of my arm, I was back out the door to the parking lot. I rushed to the car, and the tears started again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It felt like I&rsquo;d <strong>never get there<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hug-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"Boo\" class=\"wp-image-1275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hug-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hug-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hug-194x292.jpg 194w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hug-133x200.jpg 133w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hug.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-hug.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bubbo-tubbo\/5542017126\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Natasha Mileshina<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>When I pulled into the daycare parking lot for the second time that morning, I ran inside and scooped up my girl into a hug and didn&rsquo;t let go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She&rsquo;d moved on, of course, so she started squirming after a minute. It&rsquo;s not like I&rsquo;d done irreparable damage to our relationship, but it was a tear in the muscle we&rsquo;d developed as a mother and daughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I stayed to play with her for a little while, then left for work again. As I walked out, I promised myself <strong>I would never<\/strong> again prioritize anything silly like that above my girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every time I stayed up til 1:00 am catching up on work email because I had too much work to do during the workday, then woke up at 6:00 am to get us ready for the day&mdash;I wasn&rsquo;t on my A game for my child. My patience was razor thin, and my temper bubbled right at the surface, ready to spill over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every night I was stressed about <strong>all the things<\/strong> I had to get done that evening after she went to bed&mdash;which was pretty much every night, period&mdash;I rushed through story time at bedtime, skipping sentences and sometimes entire pages when I thought I could get away with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wasn&rsquo;t in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So I started <strong>saying no<\/strong> at work&mdash;and I&rsquo;m still learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are a few things that have worked for me, plus a few others I found in articles and blogs. If this is something you&rsquo;ve struggled with too, I hope these tips can bring you a little more balance. Our loved ones deserve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-remove-later-from-your-vocabulary\"><a id=\"tip1\"><\/a>1. Remove &ldquo;Later&rdquo; From Your Vocabulary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, you&rsquo;re swamped right now. But you&rsquo;ll have more time later, right? Wrong. According to a <a title=\"12 Straightforward Ways to Say 'No'\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wisebread.com\/12-straightforward-ways-to-say-no\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">study on time perceptions<\/a>, we typically &ldquo;imagine that we&rsquo;ll be less busy in the future.&rdquo; But we are mistaken. Later is like a mirage in the desert. When you get there, you realize it was a trick of the mind, and now you&rsquo;re screwed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stop telling yourself you&rsquo;ll have more time later. It&rsquo;s a lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-make-a-list\">2. Make a List<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I may go a little overboard on lists myself, but here&rsquo;s one list everyone should make: <a title=\"Your Life, Simplified\" href=\"http:\/\/zenhabits.net\/your-life-simplified\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">your top priorities<\/a>. I&rsquo;m not talking about things like pay the mortgage, finish the budget spreadsheet for your boss, or hit the grocery store so your kids don&rsquo;t end up with leftover airline peanuts and soy sauce packets for their lunch. I mean the <strong>big, overarching priorities<\/strong> of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spend a few minutes and write them down. Here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Leave work by 5:00 pm to spend time with my family<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sleep 7-8 hours each night<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Get at least 20 minutes of physical activity each day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spend most of my time at work on projects that use my strengths<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Establish myself as the go-to expert on spreadsheets throughout the company<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that you&rsquo;ve written them down, narrow your list down to the top 4-5 priorities <strong>most important<\/strong> to you. These are the things that MUST come before everything else. Write them down on a credit card-sized piece of paper and keep it in your wallet. Write them on your white board at work. Post a copy on your fridge at home. Make an image with <a title=\"Recite - Turn a Quote Into a Masterpiece\" href=\"http:\/\/www.recitethis.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Recite<\/a> and set it as your computer&rsquo;s desktop wallpaper.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" src=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-dinosaur-300x217.jpg\" alt=\"T-Rex\" class=\"wp-image-1250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-dinosaur-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-dinosaur-403x292.jpg 403w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-dinosaur-200x145.jpg 200w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-dinosaur.jpg 499w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-dinosaur.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iflscience.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IFLS<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Anytime you get an email, voicemail, or office visit asking you to take on something new, look at your list. If the new project doesn&rsquo;t help you with your top priorities, odds are it&rsquo;s NOT WORTH your time. <strong>In fact<\/strong>, taking on more work that doesn&rsquo;t align with your priorities can <a title=\"In Project Overload? How To Say No To Your Boss\" href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/lisaquast\/2012\/04\/30\/help-im-in-project-overload-tips-for-managing-your-workload-and-saying-no-to-your-boss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">make you look bad at work<\/a>. You either won&rsquo;t get the new project done on time (or at all), or your higher priority projects will have to take a backseat to make room for the new project. You&rsquo;ll be about as effective as a T-Rex trying to make the bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-buy-some-time\">3. Buy Some Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you get some practice saying no, it will probably feel uncomfortable to say no right at the moment you&rsquo;re asked to help. We often say yes just to avoid that uncomfortable feeling of letting someone else down. <a title=\"How to Say No (Without Being an Asshole)\" href=\"http:\/\/lifehacker.com\/5875337\/how-to-say-no-without-being-an-asshole\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Buy yourself some time<\/a> to review your priorities list and make peace with saying no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try this response: &ldquo;Thanks for thinking of me. Let me check my project list to make sure this is something I can commit to. I&rsquo;ll get back to you by the end of the day tomorrow.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then after you review your priorities, here&rsquo;s how you say no: &ldquo;After checking my project list, I can&rsquo;t take this on and give it the attention it deserves right now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-screen-your-calls\">4. Screen Your Calls<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-phone-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"Hello?\" class=\"wp-image-1278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-phone-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-phone-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-phone-194x292.jpg 194w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-phone-133x200.jpg 133w, https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-phone.jpg 213w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/happyyouhappyfamily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/no-phone.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/splityarn\/2465444266\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">splityarn<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Speaking of buying yourself some time, phone calls are horrible for putting you on the spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have trouble saying no in the moment, there&rsquo;s no shame in <a title=\"12 Straightforward Ways to Say 'No'\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wisebread.com\/12-straightforward-ways-to-say-no\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">screening your calls<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People have meetings. You&rsquo;re allowed to take a bathroom break. No one expects you to be at your desk 24-7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So take advantage of that, and let your phone calls go to voicemail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-don-t-apologize\">5. Don&rsquo;t Apologize<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&rsquo;re too overloaded to take on something new, that&rsquo;s <a title=\"The Gentle Art of Saying No\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lifehack.org\/articles\/communication\/the-gentle-art-of-saying-no.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">no reason to apologize<\/a>. Everyone has a project list, and everyone has to prioritize what&rsquo;s on their own list. You&rsquo;re no different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you say &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry,&rdquo; all you do is make yourself seem weak. And <strong>you&rsquo;re not<\/strong>. You&rsquo;re a strong mama bear guarding what&rsquo;s important (or papa bear, or childless bear, as the case may be). That is no reason to apologize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-make-no-excuses\">6. Make No Excuses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The person you&rsquo;re turning down doesn&rsquo;t care if your kid&rsquo;s been sick all week. They don&rsquo;t care if you have 10 other high-priority tasks to get done that week. They couldn&rsquo;t give a rat&rsquo;s behind that you&rsquo;ll be up until 3:00 am cleaning because your mother-in-law just announced she&rsquo;s coming to stay for the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As with apologizing, excuses come across as weak. They also put a condition on your &ldquo;no,&rdquo; giving the other person <a title=\"How to Say No (Without Being an Asshole)\" href=\"http:\/\/lifehacker.com\/5875337\/how-to-say-no-without-being-an-asshole\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an opening to combat your excuse<\/a> and convince you to do what they want anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-say-yes-but\">7. Say &ldquo;Yes, But&hellip;&rdquo;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This works best <a title=\"How to Say No to Your Boss\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/1701588\/how-say-no-your-boss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">when it&rsquo;s your boss asking<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try this: &ldquo;Yes, I can help out with this project. But I&rsquo;ll have to put the planning for the VPs&rsquo; <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Parkour\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Parkour<\/a> tournament on hold while I focus on this new project. Is that acceptable?&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key here is to <a title=\"How to Say 'No' at Work\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/1543180\/how-say-no-work\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">be specific<\/a> about what you have to put on the back burner. It gives your boss a chance to weigh the two options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-8-offer-an-alternative\">8. Offer an Alternative<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&rsquo;t do this nearly enough. But after seeing it recommended in several articles, I&rsquo;m going to try it out more. Follow up your &ldquo;no&rdquo; with a <a title=\"Say No Without Wrecking Your Career\" href=\"http:\/\/lifehacker.com\/5795113\/say-no-without-wrecking-your-career\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suggestion of someone else<\/a> who might be able to help. This gives you a chance to throw new opportunities to more junior-level colleagues, and it demonstrates that you want to be helpful even if you can&rsquo;t take on the work yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of offering up another person, you can also <a title=\"Use the Power of a Positive No to Focus on What Really Matters\" href=\"http:\/\/lifehacker.com\/5628551\/use-the-power-of-a-positive-no-to-focus-on-what-really-matters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">share your thoughts<\/a> on possible solutions or approaches for the project&mdash;or even just offer a small amount of your time. For example: &ldquo;Thanks for thinking of me, but I have to pass on this project right now. But I&rsquo;d be happy to sit down with you for 30 minutes to brainstorm how to get the CEO to stop making dumbass comments to the media.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading after-entry-cta\" id=\"h-before-you-go-get-my-free-cheat-sheet-75-nbsp-positive-phrases-every-child-needs-to-hear\">Before you go, get my FREE cheat sheet: <a href=\"#get-printable-positive-words\" class=\"modal-trigger\">75&nbsp;Positive Phrases Every Child Needs to Hear<\/a><\/h6>\n\n\n<style>#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-blocks-modal-link{color:var(--global-palette2, #2B6CB0);border-radius:0px;font-size:16px;line-height:24px;border-width:0px 0px 0px 0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;}#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-blocks-modal-link:hover, #kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-blocks-modal-link:focus{color:#f96d60;}#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-overlay, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-overlay, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-overlay{background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.6);}#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-overlay, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-overlay, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-overlay{-ms-flex-pack:center;justify-content:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;}#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container{width:100%;max-width:700px;-ms-flex-pack:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;text-align:left;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;}#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container{padding-top:30px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:30px;padding-left:30px;margin-top:10px;margin-right:10px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:10px;}#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container{background:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);border-top-left-radius:3px;border-top-right-radius:3px;border-bottom-right-radius:3px;border-bottom-left-radius:3px;border-top:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);border-right:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);border-bottom:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);border-left:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);}#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-close svg, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-close svg, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-close svg{width:24px;height:24px;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container{width:100%;border-top:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);border-right:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);border-bottom:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);border-left:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-close svg, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-close svg, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-close svg{width:24px;height:24px;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-container{width:100%;border-top:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);border-right:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);border-bottom:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);border-left:0px solid var(--global-palette3, #1A202C);}#kt-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-close svg, #kt-target-modal19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-close svg, .kb-modal-content19878_ef407f-13 .kt-modal-close svg{width:24px;height:24px;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-modal aligncenter kt-modal-linkalign-center\" id=\"kt-modal19878_ef407f-13\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-your-turn\">Your Turn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What&rsquo;s your trick for setting boundaries at work? Leave a comment to share!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Inside: Do you have trouble saying no at work? Here are a few tips that will help you say no and bring a little more balance to your life. Our loved ones deserve it. My cube-mate Jenny said something a few weeks ago that surprised the heck out of me. She has a wicked long&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-working-parent"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.0 (Yoast SEO v25.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>8 Ways to Say No at Work - Without Feeling Guilty<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you have trouble saying no at work? 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