I was on the crowded Circle line with my Pret Coffee at 3 p.m. (because the subscription causes coffee overconsumption I will admit), and I came across a LinkedIn post that I can’t get out of my head.
It was by Ben Meer and to paraphrase it said,
“How to Make Decisions (‘No’ by Default). Normalize making ‘No’ your default. Saying ‘Yes’ to non-priorities ruins your priorities.”
He mentioned some other choice words as well but basically added that if the answer to doing something is not HECK yes, it’s a no.
Why do I mention that?
In a world of distractions and everyone begging for our attention (People are even calling it the Attention Economy now), I have become passive in how and where I allow my attention to wander. I have had this underlying belief that I have to give everything that comes in front of me my attention, within reason of course. I am mostly talking in the context of business and social media right now, but I am sure this could bleed into other areas.
For example, I have accumulated a plethora of newsletter subscriptions within my now 5 email addresses used daily. That means at least 15 emails a day with new information on different topics related to travel, marketing, AI, etc. When going through my emails daily, I used to try to read (skim) all of them. Now, I simply delete the majority and decide on a few I (think) I will actually read later. The issue with this process is that I am required to resist hundreds of updates every month that subconsciously make me feel like I am missing something important and therefore behind.
The information overload and the fear of missing information have caused burnout in my thinking. It seems it causes a lack of creativity and a focus on total quantity output rather than quality output because of always needing to be “on” and “up-to-date.”
This LinkedIn post is stuck in my head on purpose, and I am going to change my thinking.
My new intentional response to everything that comes at me, in the world of business and productivity, will be a default ‘No.’
It simply has to be because otherwise, I will find myself trying to do at least a little bit of everything and not having any idea what I really want to give my everything to.
How to know if you enjoy something is largely dependent on if you feel you can be good at it.
If you always feel like you are not good enough, you will struggle to truly enjoy what you do. I understand you can’t know everything about anything, but you can at least produce some kind of successful output that produces a feeling of being a type of expert.
At least that is my current view as a 22-year-old master’s student in marketing.
Having a default answer of ‘No’ looks like:
- Unsubscribing from newsletters that are not essential
- Deciding on priorities and resisting the urge to entertain other things
- Reminding yourself why you have set the priorities you have
- Saying “no” even if it is uncomfortable
It is time to ignore the fact that there are so many options out there and simply choose what to remain focused on.
The grass is not always greener on the other side. The other career option or path is not always better than what you have. Social media is fake and TikTok will destroy a mind that allows the FYP to convince it that where you are is not good enough and who you are is not enough.
From the many podcasts I have heard on productivity, a habit comes down to an identity issue.
If you find yourself in a habit of thinking negatively about yourself and your abilities, find the root cause of the misidentification of yourself and make a change. Make a drastic change if you have to. Make small, everyday changes if you have to. Remind yourself of the truth in God’s word; You actively have to. I actively have to.
This has turned more into a motivational speech for myself, but I am ready to stop thinking something else is better than what is in front of me. It is actually absurd for me to be thinking that way. It is completely the enemy’s tactic to keep me from the joy of the Lord which is my strength.
For anyone who feels they are not enough or where they are at is not a place to be enjoyed, here is a reminder that passively allowing negative thoughts into your mind regarding this area is taking you from progress in life and in the priorities you set.
Trust that you can do what you put your mind to, but first, have something to put your mind to.