Do you find it hard to say no when a client, colleague, or even an acquaintance asks you for something? Are your days full of tasks and obligations you don’t even want to be doing, while your own priorities get pushed to the back burner?  

Welcome to Gimbal's Tip of the Week, where you get practical, actionable advice you can use right away to start building a more productive and profitable legal practice.  

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This week, we’re sharing our number one, top productivity tip for 2021: learn to say NO.

A key element of time management is learning to manage the expectations of those we work with - whether clients or colleagues. You cannot be everything for everyone or say yes to everything that is asked of you. If you say yes to everything, your schedule will always be maxed out. You may find yourself constantly running from one engagement to the next without any real control of your time.

If you want to achieve more balance in your life and ensure that you spend your time on the things that matter to you and YOUR business, you need to learn how to say no.

Remember: saying yes to something means saying no to something else. I’m going to repeat that: Saying Yes to something means saying NO to something else.

Saying yes to that meeting could mean saying “no” to working on a matter for a client (or having dinner with your pre-schooler).

Saying “yes” to that interesting pro-bono speaking engagement could mean saying “no” to taking on a new paying mandate.

Be very selective about your commitments. Look at your schedule and your capabilities. Be honest with yourself and others. Taking on too much or wearing yourself thin not only leads to stress and burnout, but also diminishes the quality of your work.

It’s perfectly acceptable to consider the tangible or intangible benefits of participating, and weigh those against the time and energy required. Then be assertive and polite in your communication if you decide to say no.

Here are a few pointers for saying no and managing expectations:

1. Don’t agree to things right away. Ask for some time to check your schedule so that you can make a proper assessment of your ability to partake. This way, you won’t lock yourself into an obligation without having time to think.
2. If you are afraid of hurting feelings, try leading with the positive. Express how grateful you are to be considered, or how interesting the offer looks. You can then follow up by stating your inability to participate.
3. Sometimes, “no” means “not right now.” If you are unable to participate at the moment but are genuinely interested in doing so in the future, be sure to communicate this. But don’t get anyone’s hopes up if you're simply not interested.

Creating boundaries in the professional space means learning to say “no” graciously. It requires being aware of your obligations and making an assessment regarding what is and what is not worth your time.

As 2021 approaches, we’ll be sharing even more tips on how you can improve your law practice in the new world of work. If you want information like this regularly, sign up below sign up here so you don’t miss a Tip of the Week.

Thanks a lot everybody! See you next week.