Why Did I Say “Yes”?
How many of us say “yes” to just about anything when it comes to our professional lives? Guilty! I, personally, say “yes” to just about anything that is asked of me - “will you be on this committee?” - Oooo, yes! “I need help researching my topic for my English paper” - sure, let’s talk about your topic and see where we go! “Will you write me a pass to come makeup the work I missed while I was out last week?” - Absolutely. “Can you come to this IEP meeting today?” - for you, anything! “My (fellow teacher) computer/printer isn’t working correctly - can you come take a look?” - sure, I’ll come by on my prep to take a look. I think my stress level just increased upon posing just those few questions that seem to be a staple within my professional life. Learning how and when to say “no” could be just the tool to decrease stress and boost personal productivity.
Just Say “No”...or, “Maybe”
Now that you’ve decided to possibly increase the occurrence of “no” into your vocabulary, what are some ways that you can say no but not feel guilty about it?
Somerville et al (2021) advises on potential examples of saying no…without having to say it:
The “hard no”
The “not now”
The “not so much”
The “maybe, if the deal were a little sweeter”
The “maybe, if the benefits and costs were clearer”
Let’s face it, we sometimes feel we need the Jerry Seinfeld list of reasons to say no. Here’s 9 Tips to Say No to help expound upon the versions of “no” above.
Saying “yes” to all opportunities has its drawbacks; however, prioritizing “high-benefiting” activities can play to your advantage and keep you from experiencing burnout early in your career (Somerville et al, 2021).
In education, Technology Coordinators are often tasked with doing all of these and if saying “no” is not part of your daily vocabulary, prepare to be overworked, stressed, and burned out QUICKLY! The audiences that a Technology Coordinator affiliate with frequently include: administration, board of education, teachers/faculty, and the community (Frazier et al, 2017, p. 178).
Meeting the needs of each of these groups is essential; however, it requires a significant amount of prioritizing and aligning professional goals to accomplish tasks effectively and efficiently. Walking the halls of the schools within the district is one way to not lose touch with what the LEAs experience (Frazier et al, 2017, p. 181). Maintaining comradery and relationships, along with witnessing what “good” is happening can all assist with aligning priorities in our schools to best maximize student achievement.
You Can Do It!
Yeah, I couldn’t go without posting one of the most notorious lines in all of Waterboy…
Somerville et al (2021) urges individuals to follow three rules to master the art of saying “no”:
Make it a priority to think carefully before saying yes to requests
Identify mentors or peers who can you help you weigh the costs and benefits
Take a clear-eyed look at your existing commitments to ensure you are leaving the time you need to take care of yourself
Whoa…take care of yourself. I’m going to step out and say that I bet you have not been doing that - you’ve been taking care of everyone and everything else. Rethink your commitments and devote time to personal and professional growth. The fact is that if you dropped dead today, the world would still spin and people would continue to go on about their business. If you don’t take care of yourself, who will?
References
Frazier, M. & Hearrington, D. (2017). The Technology Coordinator’s (Third Edition) Handbook. Portland, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.
Somerville, L. H., Van Bavel, J. J., Lewis, Jr., N. A., Gruber, J., & Cunningham, W. A. (2021, January 5). Learn when—and how—to say no in your professional life. Science.org. https://www.science.org/content/article/learn-when-and-how-say-no-your-professional-life
