Identify if you’re feeling hot or cold, a “HECK YES!” or a “no”.

Most of us say “yes” to too many things.

The majority of those activities a) have a mediocre return on investment and b) quickly fill up our lives. Take a moment to reflect on your current situation. I’d predict you can identify a few activities and commitments that aren’t a “HECK YES!” but you’ve said yes to.*

This presents a problem for when the occasional “OH, HECK YES!” opportunities come along and you don’t have enough time to get to them because you’ve said yes to too many other little, half-hearted activities.

(This is in many ways a reminder to myself as this is definitely an area I can improve in.)

Saying yes to a lot of little mediocre things is the seemingly low entry fee to the long-term destructive marathon of being “busy.”

When people contact me saying, “look I know you’ve been incredibly busy” I want to be someone who can so “No, I’m not,” because I’m in control of my time and I’m on top of it.

To me being busy is often a sign to imply that you’re out of control, like, “Ahh, I’m so busy I don’t have time for anything.”

That sounds like a person who’s got no control over their life.

A lack of time is a lack of priorities.

If I’m busy it is because I’ve made choices that put me in that position.

I have no right to complain if I’m too busy, and if I do, that’s a signal that it’s time to reexamine my schedule and what I’ve said yes to.

Choose either hot or cold, and stop saying yes to things that aren’t a “HECK YES!”

• Depending on what stage of life and career you are in, it can be good to say yes to more opportunities in pursuit of increasing exposure and getting yourself out. However, there is a time when your time would be better spent just focusing on one thing. I think saying yes to opportunities is good but not all opportunities are worth your time – invest and allocate your time jealously.