Did You Really Want to Say Yes?

“We often say yes to little requests because we are not clear enough about what we need to be doing instead.”

~ James Clear, “Atomic Habits”

When it comes to demands on our precious time, it is a-okay to think twice before saying the magic three-letter word: “yes.”

But sometimes, as perhaps you have discovered, it is rather difficult to say no when we don’t have a concrete reason for doing so.

In his book, “Atomic Habits; An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones,” author James Clear explains that a significant reason people struggle to develop the habits necessary to achieve whatever is they want to, is because they lack clarity about the specifics of when and how they are going to do what needs to get done.

I see this an awful lot: a person may be fairly clear about what they want to achieve, but try as they might, they can’t seem to develop the habits necessary to do the work (or take the rest, as the case may be), day in and day out. So when a demand on their time comes along — or yet another distraction presents itself (e.g. social media/the phone) — it can be tough not to give in.

“Many people think they lack motivation, when…