# django_session

session_key: mghk0402xeqcsuuv9raef4gshkhjic6l
expire_date: 2019-04-23 14:15:47.329515
session_data:
  NzAwNDhkMzAzODgyYmUwYTZhYjZkZmZkY2U2ZjI2MzMxZTUzNDAyNzp7Il9hdXRoX3VzZXJfaWQiOiIxIiwiX2F1dGhfdXNlcl9iYWNrZW5kIjoiZGphbmdvLmNvbnRyaWIuYXV0aC5iYWNrZW5kcy5Nb2RlbEJhY2tlbmQiLCJfYXV0aF91c2VyX2hhc2giOiJjZDdmNmU0YWUyN2VkZTViZDIzMzEwNmViYzlmYTcxZWE0MzRhZGQwIn0=


session_key: g85xpv7f54erbm3w8bw1mwy9kvo2d1h0
expire_date: 2019-04-25 06:33:32.378839
session_data:
  ZmUwMzMyMzlkOTE0MTA5MGExMWEwNTU3ZDFmNGQ1NTRlNGY3ZGMxZjp7Il9hdXRoX3VzZXJfaWQiOiIyIiwiX2F1dGhfdXNlcl9iYWNrZW5kIjoiZGphbmdvLmNvbnRyaWIuYXV0aC5iYWNrZW5kcy5Nb2RlbEJhY2tlbmQiLCJfYXV0aF91c2VyX2hhc2giOiIyZThkMzg3ZTEwNzIwZmFhMGI2YjYzZWYyNWIzMGNmN2I4YTE0ZDNlIn0=


# post_post

title: The Ultimate Productivity Hack is Saying No
pub_date: 2019-04-18 17:52:27.766724
content:
  The ultimate productivity hack is saying no.

  Not doing something will always be faster than doing it. As I heard one computer programmer say, “Remember that there is no code faster than no code.” 

  The same applies in many areas of life. There is no meeting that goes faster than not having a meeting at all. This is not to say you should never attend another meeting, but the truth is that we say yes to many things we don't actually want to do. There are many meetings held that don't need to be held. There is a lot of code written that could be deleted. In work and personal life, there is a lot of wasted time and energy.

  The Default Reply
  When an opportunity arises, saying yes seems to be the default reply. Sometimes this is out of social custom, sometimes out of habit, sometimes due to a lack of clear priorities.

  To a certain degree, we appear wired to say yes. For most of human history, our ancestors lived in a world where opportunities were scarce. The human mind had to say yes to each opportunity to find food and water, seek shelter, and secure safety, or it wouldn't survive.

  But the modern world is one of abundance, not scarcity. Most of us have more calories, more choices, and more information than we know what to do with. Despite the fact that we could pick and choose activities more carefully than ever before, we still seem to jump at any opportunity as if it would be hard to find something to do with our time. As the author Nassim Taleb has noted, “Abundance is harder for us to handle than scarcity.”

  Whether out of evolutionary wiring or simple habit, nobody seems to question things. How often do people ask you to do something and you just reply, “Sure thing.” Three days later you're overwhelmed by how much is on your to-do list. We become frustrated by our obligations even though we were the ones who said yes to them in the first place.

  We are particularly bad at saying no to what we have already started. Saying no to the rest of a bad movie. Quitting a terrible book. Stopping a project that no longer serves you. We seem adamant about finishing a task once it has been opened.

  Even worse, people will occasionally fight to do things that waste time. “Why can't you just come to the meeting? We have it every week.” Just because it's scheduled weekly doesn't mean it's necessary weekly.

  It's worth asking if things are necessary because many of them are not and a simple “no” will be more productive than whatever work the most efficient person can muster. I am reminded of the famous Peter Drucker quote, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”

  The Difference Between Yes and No
  The words “yes” and “no” get used in comparison to each other so often that it feels like they carry equal weight in conversation. In reality, they are not just opposite in meaning, but of entirely different magnitudes in commitment.

  When you say no, you are only saying no to one option. When you say yes, you are saying no to every other option. Once you have committed to something, you have already decided how that future hour will be spent.

  Saying no gains you time in the future. Saying yes costs you time in the future. No is a form of time credit. You retain the ability to spend your time however you want. Yes is a form of time debt. You have to pay it back at some point.

  In short: No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility.

  Earning the Right to Say No
  In most fields, you have to go through a period where you say yes to nearly every opportunity before you can earn the right to say no to nearly every opportunity.

  Learning to make this switch is hard.

  But saying no isn't a privilege reserved for the successful among us. It's a practice that can actually help you become successful. Even in the beginning, you need to learn to say no to whatever isn't leading you toward your goals. Most of the time we refer to this by another name: staying focused.

  The people who do valuable work often have a remarkable willingness to say no to distractions and focus on one thing. Nobody embodied this idea better than Steve Jobs, who said, “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.” 

  If you lack the ability to say no to distractions then achieving something meaningful is an uphill battle. As one reader told me, “If you broaden the definition as to how you apply “no”, it actually is the only productivity hack (as you ultimately say no to any distraction in order to be productive).” 

  Getting Better at Saying No
  Saying no is useful at any time, but generally it becomes more important as you grow older. You have less time left and you're more clear about what matters to you, so you should be saying no to more things and doing what you enjoy most.


