"Things which matter most
must never be at the mercy of
things which matter least."
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Thoughts are scattered. Words are organized.
You can have the abstract idea in your head about wanting to say NO to more things. You can have all the tools you’ve learned over the past 3 weeks floating around in your skull throughout the day, but without any material ability to physically see and recall those ideas to reinforce them, they’re going to vaporize with time.
Make NO a part of your space.
There are things you see throughout your day that might remind you of the important things. Good things to jump start your memory. This is what my wall looks like most days:
I know. It’s a lot. 😬
It started with one little sticky note and kind of blew out over the years. But when my mind drifts away on an unimportant task, you can bet my attention gets brought back to the right task pretty fast. I’ve posted some more of my other wall at the foot of this email. Truly bonkers, but very helpful. It applies to anything you learn, not just the lessons in NO-vember.
But there’s a lot to remember. Life gets in the way. Hedonic Adaptation takes over and you forget you even knew how to say NO. Don’t let that happen. Print some of the things from the past 25 days out— things that speak to your situation. Keep them close.
Write them in your own words.
I’ve said them in my own words, but if it makes it more resonant, write it in your own tone of voice. Or even your native language, if it isn’t English.
The results of consistently saying yes to the things that aren’t serving your Big Why accumulate over time… and you might not even notice them until you get to the end of the month, year, decade and look behind you. Where did all that time go?
In the same way the small results of good habits accumulate over time, so do bad ones. Nip them in the bud now.
"The formula for failure is a few small errors consistently repeated. Just because the results aren’t immediately felt doesn’t mean consequences aren’t coming. You are smart enough to know the potential results; you just don’t necessarily realize when they’re coming."
— Shane Parrish
Recommended Reading:
Shane Parrish:
Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results
This is a thought-provoking book that offers practical insights into enhancing decision-making and problem-solving skills. With clear and concise writing, it empowers readers to harness their mental faculties for greater success in everyday life.
I have this mug sitting on my desk while I go through my inbox.
Because the old adage is true: You teach that which you need to learn, I constantly need reinforcement and reminders of the insights I share here at NO-vember. So I made this mug. If you want one you can get one delivered — I don’t have a discount code or anything; I didn’t start this thing to start shilling mugs.
Baby steps. NO takes practice. Start small, and work your way up.
Good luck,
- Jason
Thanks, Jason. I don't think i can do this with my room because i'm the neat and organized type and if i see a messy room, i have no choice but to get out of there (call me a near-neat freak if you want). Also, one of my mom's wise words is this:"An unorganized room (its desk and bed included) depicts an unorganized mind (i've really seen numerous times that she's right about this)."
P. S: I neither mean to offend you or anyone who thrives in messy environments, nor try to give advice to messy ones to organize their rooms.