At some point in their lives, everybody becomes a “yes man/woman”. Not necessarily the type that will agree with anything just to get ahead (although, some of us, unfortunately, may end up there). I’m talking about the type that will say yes to any task given or favor asked, even when they don’t even have room in their schedule to breathe. It’s not the worst thing in the world to want to be helpful and ambitious; in fact, it’s a great quality. But it’s also actually kind of dangerous, too. There are so many circumstances in our lives that make it okay for us to say no and most of the time, we don’t even realize it.

You have trouble scheduling a time to eat meals, let's not add another task to the list

If you’re at this point in your hectic life where you don’t even have time to sit and have a meal with friends (or yourself), then it’s okay to say no. Usually, I tell myself that if I’m able to schedule it in without moving around my entire schedule, then the answer is definitely: “sorry, but no”.

You already have a conflict with the task

If you can already see something in the future hindering your ability to complete the task to your full ability, then don’t take it on! Nothing is worse than agreeing to do something and not being able to create a satisfying ending product. It’s frustrating not only for the person you may be helping out but for you too! Nobody likes completing something unless they know it’s their best work (at least I don’t).

You have something personal scheduled

It’s so important to remember that YOU become before anything else. If the task you’ve been asked to complete conflicts with something you’ve already scheduled, that’s your cue to go ahead and politely deny.

You don’t like the person asking

Sounds harsh, but it’s a good point, right? Why put yourself out there for someone who isn’t worth your time? There are always going to be people making pit stops in your life, asking you to oil their squeaky wheel. The ones that aren’t in it for the long-haul or are taking you for granted are pretty easy to weed out. Be conscientious and don’t be afraid to turn down those who don’t return the favors.

The favor in question will stress you out

No one needs more added stress in their lives--especially over a task or favor that may not even be beneficial to you. If the favor being asked of you is going to put you in an uncomfortable position, don’t be afraid to politely decline.