Cover Photo credit: arctickingdom.com
Bonus: Say “No” to scrolling through photos of cute puppies on the internet.
A lot of people think “success” is about saying “yes” to the right stuff. Well, that’s one side of a coin. There are many things we say “yes” to that we really should be saying “no” to.
Ready to upgrade your life?
Read on to see what things you should say “no” to without guilt and become who you really want to become.
Personality
1. Mediocrity
You’re almost always better than you think you are.
“I’d rather choke on greatness than nibble on mediocracy” — boldomatic.com
2. Talking Shit About Yourself
Be positive. Don’t seek loathing, seek improvement.
“Don’t wish it was easier wish you were better. Don’t wish for less problems wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge wish for more wisdom.” — Jim Rohn
“Just remember; someone loves everything you hate about yourself” — Frank Ocean
3. Selfishness
Be a giver. Be happier.
“Selfish people end up having only their self.” — lovequotesmessages.com
4. Perfection
Don’t waste time on perfection. Great is good enough.
5. Excuses
Ask why three times and you’ll know the real reason.
“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses” — George Washington Carver
6. Always Comparing To Others
Spend time on self-improvement over fascination over competitors.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” — Theodore Roosevelt
7. Impulsive Decisions
Think deeper.
“Impulsiveness is the enemy of deep thinking” — askideas.com
8. Procrastination
But don’t think too deep, start doing, then think so more.
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” — Marcus Aurelius
9. Staying Skill-less
Done with school? Good. Now it’s time to learn for real.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combined them in creative ways.” — Robert Greene
10. Thinking You Can Never Change
Screw that! You actually change biologically every day, what makes you think you can’t change yourself mentally?
“Every next chapter of your life will demand a different you.” — Leonardo Di Caprio
11. Thinking YOLO Means Screwing Up Your Future
Live now so you can live tomorrow.
12. A Fixed Mindset
There’s no such thing as undeniable truth. Question everything. Be curious.
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” — Albert Einstein
Health & Sleep
13. Unhealthy Food
The more you eat healthy, the tastier the food gets.
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live in.” — quotesofdaily.com
14. Skipping A Meal
Your brain needs all the good nutrients it can get to function optimally. Eat better, not less.
15. Taking The Car
The grocery store is 15 minutes walk away? Walk to it!
16. The Snooze Button
Be so focused on achieving your goals and set tight deadlines and you won’t ever think about snoozing anymore!
“You Snooze, You Lose” — smart people
17. Partying Every Night
Enjoy a party, but don’t forget your goals, and resting of course!
“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” — Oscar Wilde
18. Stimulants Before Bed
Don’t get in the way of a good sleep.
“Sleep is the best meditation” — Dalai Lama
19. Skipping Your Workout
Can’t go to the gym? Get on the floor and pump a few push-ups a few times a day!
“No pain, no gain.”
20. Supplements With A Ton of Things You Can’t Even Pronounce
Know what you put in your body. You only have one to live with. Don’t kill it without being aware.
21. Food You Refuse To Eat
Because you hated broccoli 10 years ago doesn’t mean you can’t like it now. We all change, you know!
22. Lame-Ass Excuses For Not Working Out
Stop lying to yourself, you can do it. Drop the excuses, then drop on the floor for some sit-ups… NOW (Bonus points to readers who actually do it)!
“When you’re good at making excuses, it’s hard to excel at anything else.” — John L. Mason
23. Sleep Less Than What Your Body Needs
Waking up tired in the morning? It’s actually not normal. Take it as a sign you need to sleep more!
Productivity
24. Long Commute
Waste as little time as possible on non-productive activities.
25. Distractions
When comes time to be productive. Shut any distractions down.
“You can’t do big things if you’re distracted by small things” — picturequotes.com
26. Blockers Of Personal Progress
Bad friend? Block. Netflix? Block. Video Games? Block. Unblock when comes time to unwind.
27. Reading Things You Don’t Enjoy
Seriously. You don’t have to finish everything you start! The author won’t know. Stop reading shit things, there’s too much great stuff out there!
28. Completing Useless Things
Plan things. Organize priorities. Do the ones that matter.
“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.” — Peter Drucker
29. Planning Things That Don’t Need Planning
Planning is great and all, but don’t forget to execute!
“Just do it!” — Nike
30. Wake Up Unprepared
Plan what you’re going to be doing the night before.
31. Bad Ambience
Set the mood the way that truly gets you productive.
32. Working From Home
If your environment is not set up for it, don’t force it. Or set it up.
Relationships
33. Takers
Say “yes” to givers. Give yourself.
“Know the difference between those who stay to feed the soil and those who come to grab the fruit.” — pinterest.com
34. Social Media
Uninstall the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram apps from your phone. BAM! I gave you back an hour of your day!
35. Talking Shit About Others
Always be honest. Don’t be a hater.
“Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you.” — unknown
36. Listening To Complaints About Others
Gossiping is poisonous. Avoid people who spread it.
“Who gossips to you will gossip of you” — Turkish Proverb
37. Naysayers
If someone doesn’t have time for you, don’t find time for them. Relationships are mutual.
38. People Who Have No Faith In You
Everything starts with a little faith in yourself.
“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” — Henry Ford
39. Your Spouse Shutting Your Dream Down
Be open. Find common ground. You can both realize your dream and still be married. Think outside the box. Consult a professional.
40. Your Family’s Advice
They mean well, but they’re not always best suited to give you the advice you need.
“You don’t have to love your family.” — Jessica Wildfire
41. Unidirectional Relationships
Give as much as you take, if not more.
42. Expect Something In Return
Give for kindness.
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” — Mother Teresa
Work-Life Balance
43. Bad Routines
Don’t get stuck in a non-productive routine. You can change things around.
44. Meetings Without An Agenda
These tend to last too long and have no focus. No sense of direction. Avoid them.
45. Overly Long Team Meetings
Bring people back on track or leave. Seems rude, but in the long run, people will thank you for it.
46. Bad Clients
To hell with the good money. If a client is not good to you, focus your energy on the good clients.
“It is better to starve than get a bad client.” — Massimo Vignelli
47. Good
Say “yes” to great.
“Good is the enemy of great” — Jim Collins
48. Cluttered Environment
Have a clean workspace, both physically, mentally and on your computer.
49. Responding To Messages Ad-hoc
As much as possible set blocks of times to answer messages.
50. Doing Life Stuff At Work
Give your full attention to your work, it won’t go unnoticed.
51. Doing Work Stuff At Home
Give you full attention to your family, it won’t go unnoticed.
“When you work, work. When you play, play. Don’t mix the two.” — Jim Rohn
52. Doing Things You Can Delegate
Find your superpower, delegate the stuff that’s outside of it.
Work
53. A Shit Job
Don’t get stuck in a job you don’t like. There are options; more than there ever was.
54. Your Boss’ Unreasonable Deadline
If you can’t do the work in the amount of time you know it will take you, tell them about your concern. A lot of bosses are more reasonable than you think.
“A good boss makes his men realize they have more ability than they think they have so that they consistently do better work than they thought they could.” — Charles Erwin Wilson
55. Bad Etiquette
Companies start forming bad etiquettes as they grow. Don’t contribute to them.
56. Gossip
Live your own life. Leave what doesn’t concern you to people concerned.
“Live and let live” — proverb
57. Unreasonable Hours
Sacrificing your health for work is counter-productive.
“The willing horse is always overworked.” — Charles Darwin
58. A Bad Business Partner
Communication is key. Work things out or walk away.
“I can’t control your behavior; nor do I want that burden… but I will not apologize for refusing to be disrespected, to be lied to, or to be mistreated. I have standards; step up or step out.” — Steve Maraboli
Life
59. Video Games
Addicting games can suck your life. Force a time limit during the week.
“Waka waka waka, waka waka, waka waka waka “waka waka”! Waka, waka waka…” — Pacman
60. A Boring Life
Do exciting things. You only live once. Life’s too short for regret.
61. Your TV And Couch
Make your environment uncomfortable so you can focus on the things that matter.
62. Waiting For Things You Don’t Need To
Coffee machine? A traffic light when there are other options? A file upload? Just do something else!
63. Things That Don’t Work Towards Your Goals
Question the things you do. Better yet, question it before you start it.
“If it’s not a Hell Yeah!, it’s a no” — Derek Sivers
64. Settling Before Knowing Where You Belong
The world is vast. Because you’re born somewhere, doesn’t mean it’s the best environment for you. Travel and see where you belong.
65. Comparing Apples To Oranges
Don’t waste time comparing things that don’t compare. It’s it’s quantified or qualified using a different set of attributes, it’s not the same thing!
66. Your Cellphone
Top productive people set their phones on Airplane mode for most of the day. For me, it has become a brick of sorts.
“Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we’re too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone.” — Steven Spielberg
Conclusion
Feeling inspired yet?
How many of those do you already say “no” to?
Which ones are you going to start saying “no” to?
What did I miss?
What are your own personal things to say “no” to?
Share your answers in comments below!
Remember, saying “no” is at least as important as saying “yes” to the right things. Pick ideas from the list above, make your own list, and most important, apply what you learned.
You can do this!
Thanks for reading! :)