Learn the Power of Saying No

When I was a sophomore in high school, my English teacher played my class “Vienna” by Billy Joel. She told us the song reminded her of us — hardworking students who pushed themselves too hard sometimes. She told us to take a deep breath and enjoy life instead of chasing endless milestones. 

Its taken me a long time to realize her wisdom. I thought that slowing down means giving up opportunities, a cost to which I'm allergic. I've learned the hard way that slowing down actually means focusing and prioritizing, which actually will lead to better opportunities.

Prioritize

This summer I did a fulltime internship, took a class, and worked on a side project. I thought I could do it all. Only in retrospect do I see the reality: I was working from 7am to 11pm and neglecting the one thing that matters most: the people I love.

So I sat down and wrote down every single commitment I have. I then grouped them into buckets: part time job, race training, etc. I rank ordered them and came to the following buckets as my top priorities:

• Spend time with friends/family
• Realize my future headline
• School 

Cut the Fluff

Doing this exercise forced me to determine what was most important and gave me the clarity to realize how other responsibilities were distracting from my goals. For example, I was supposed to return to a part-time job this fall. While the extra money would've been nice, I came to the conclusion that even three hours a week adds to time I didn't spend on those three buckets. So I quit.

Radical prioritization has led to lost opportunities, such as my part-time job. But it also made me happier; I now spend my time wisely instead of making my time a commodity. 

Enjoy Life

Now that spending time with friends and family has become one of my priorities, I've been able to appreciate life as my English teacher suggested years ago.

I've spent the past few days in Tahoe with my family. At first, I didn't know how I was going to take a break from my responsibilities. But I've found immense clarity in making space to just live for life's sake. In fact, I believe taking time off will make me more efficient when I return to all that I have on my plate.

Takeaways

Ruthlessly prioritize your life. That means saying no to appealing opportunities in order to focus your time. But it also means leaving white space to reflect on your goals. Giving yourself that space will allow you to say no and set yourself free from needless time sinks.

-Katie

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What I’m Reading: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman

What I’m Watching: Death Note

App I Find Helpful: Garden