Saying No: Even During a Zombie Apocalypse

For many, saying “no” is hard. Nearly 4 in 10 who have taken the Time Management Analysis (TMA) admit they have a hard time declining a request from someone who needs help or wants time. We all don’t want to be seen as selfish, petty, and self-serving. Therefore, we can twist ourselves into a time pretzel, trying to be there for assistance while attempting to figure out how to complete all the other scheduled tasks and activities.

As I work with clients, one of the first solutions I suggest is to put the request into content. I call it the zombie question.

On a scale of zero to ten, with zero being a low priority and ten being a zombie apocalypse, where does your problem land?

It immediately asks the other person to reflect on the real importance and that you are not necessarily ready to drop what you are doing.

While you may not like the reference, so change it to whatever represents an emergency that would truly make you need to stop what is happening right then. You might be thinking, “What do I do if they really say it is a zombie apocalypse? Should I stop what I am doing to help?” My answer is, “Not necessarily.” Zombies tend to move slow (at least in the show The Walking Dead), so let’s equip you with some additional questions to ask before you decide to stop what you are doing.

Want to see the rest of the article or listen to an audio version? You’ll read:

• Question 1: Important of Urgency
• Question 2: Importance of Outcome
• Question 3: Importance of Options
• Question 4: Importance of Prioritization
• Their Time is Important…but so is Yours

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David Buck is the author of the book The Time-Optimized Life, owner of Kairos Management Solutions, LLC, and founder of the Infinity Lifestyle Design program. David helps individuals, teams and businesses “in-career” create more time flexibility in their lives. In addition, assists individuals and couples craft a “post-career” lifestyle strategy to meaning and purpose. To learn more, contact him at [email protected] or visit Infinity Lifestyle Design.