I spend most of my time saying yes and trying to get other people to say yes, but what about saying “No”? I know it seems so negative. Being a people-person, I always want to please everyone, but I have recently come to realize that I simply can’t. Also, not saying no and taking on too much work or responsibility can lead to stress, anxiety, sickness, or worse, a complete breakdown. This would be bad.

I have also come to realize that it isn’t my responsibility to please everyone. With this in mind, I know I need to work on saying “No” when it is appropriate rather than trying to be superman.

To help me say no, I have found 20 Ways to Say No by Ramona Creel at OnlineOrganizing.com. Be sure to check out the complete listing over there, but here are a few that I can apply myself:

• I am in the middle of several projects
• I hate to split my attention among projects
• I would rather decline than do a mediocre job
• Let me hook up with someone who can do it
• This really is not my strong suit

You can see how the above statements can also be applied to your business. If you are a small studio then you may find that you try to say Yes to every project that comes through your door. Hopefully this list will help you gently turn away some of those projects that you should say no to.

Understand that I am not saying these should be used as excuses. You also shouldn’t lie if you do have the ability and bandwidth to take on a new task. But if you’re like me, you’ll find these useful to keep in the back of your mind when you find yourself trying to save the world at 6pm on a Friday.