Nobody is going to think less of you. Admitting when your plate is full is a sign of emotional maturity. When adding extra work - ask what will be delayed or sacrificed to make room for it.
I'm not available." - Helps establish off-hours and personal time boundaries.
"I need you to help me." - Encourages teamwork and shared responsibility.
"I don't agree." - Clearly states disagreement while remaining open to finding a mutual solution.
"I understand you need my help, but I cannot work on this right now." - Balances empathy with personal ... See more
Author Grace Bonney on how to get better at saying no:
“The biggest fear most of us have with learning to say no is that we will miss an opportunity. An opportunity that would have catapulted us to success, or that will never come again. And most of the time, that simply isn’t true.
I’ve found that the first part of learning to say no is learning to... See more