Before You Say Yes: A Simple Practice for Giving Yourself Time Before You Commit

Your yes is valuable. Give it a minute.

You're the one people ask, because you'll do it well. The slides, the committee, the favor on the way out of a meeting. The yes leaves your mouth before you've looked at your week, and the only open slot turns out to be your evening.

Before You Say Yes gives you one prepared sentence for requests that can wait: “Let me check what I can take on. I'll get back to you tomorrow.” Then it shows you what to do with the pause: check what the commitment would really take, decide what fits, and follow up when you said you would.

It isn't about saying no more often. Sometimes the pause shows you that you'd love to help. Either way, you answer with your calendar in front of you.

Inside:

• Four short chapters you can read in one sitting
• A fill-in “Write your plan” practice sheet
• A 14-day habit tracker
• Five guided journal pages
• Six Bad Day Dissolver cards to save on your phone or print
• Research notes on if-then planning

This is for you if you teach, coach, or present, and people assume you have “just a minute.”

Format: Fillable PDF, 29 pages. Type into it on a computer, tablet, or phone, or print it. Instant download.