Happier? Healthier? More productive? Then say NO! (video transcript)
1st of November – So today is the 1st of November, or as I’m going to affectionately refer to it this year, NOvember. So I’m doing something fun and a little different for the entire month of November, which is each day coming to you with one idea for something you can say no to this month to make your life better, your team more productive, and your business more successful.
The first thing I am saying no to is resentment. Are you with me?
2nd of November – Today we are saying no to no notifications.
3rd of November – This NOvember say no to procrastination. Just do it and you’ll feel so great after you do.
4th of November – So, for the 4th of NOvember, we are saying no to taking on other people’s accountability. And instead we’re focusing on the unique ways that we can help people and really scaling back the contribution of our assistance, so we can stay focused on our own priorities.
5th of November – We have an exciting no for the 5th of NOvember, which is, we are saying no to CCs on emails. Ugh.
6th of November – Today’s tip is saying no to smoothing things over. And I know that this is a hard one for me too, because I tend to like things to be harmonious.
7th of November – Today’s no is saying no to unsolicited advice, which is an awesome comment somebody made on one of our early NOvember posts. So, I love it.
8th of November – Today we’re saying no to dumping work and instead we’re making sure that if we’re asking somebody else to do a piece of work, we’ve set them up to do it well the first time.
9th of November – Hey, it’s the 9th of NOvember already. How did we get here? And today we are saying no to perfection.
10th of November – And today a no that is really hard for me, which is saying no to dehydration.
11th of November – Can’t wait to hear how for NOvember 11th you say no to at least one chunk of a standing meeting.
12th of November – Hello. Happy 12th of NOvember. Can I give you a hint what I would really like to say no to today? Can you see that? Can you see how much snow we got last night? That’s what I would really like to say no to, but… Making sure that we are saying no to being a spectator in our own meetings. Because if we do that, what the heck is the point of having the meetings anyway? So for NOvember 12th, say no to being a spectator.
13th of November – What am I saying no to today? So, this is a hard one in today’s current environment, but saying no to the echo chamber, which is to say saying no to sticking with the conversations that you know are going to be comfortable, and no to sticking with talking to the people who you know are going to agree with you.
14th of November – Thursday, the 14th of NOvember, we are saying no to minding your own business.
15th of November – NOvember turned into NOOOvember this morning, when only a few hours before I had to leave for the airport, my iPhone crapped out. So that’s it. NOvember 15th, and we are saying no to using the term “I have to.”
16th of November – Saying no to today… Judgment. We are saying no.
17th of November with Laura Gassner Otting – Okay, so you know, all those moments when people come up to you and they’re like, “Hey, can I pick your brain?” “You gotta sec?” “Can I just like stick all my important tasks all over your calendar, regardless of your goals and your hopes and your dreams and your plans and your priorities?” I want you to say no to those things.
18th of November – And so I’ll tell you what my no was for today. My no was it’s time to say no to imposter syndrome. It is time to stop hiding my ideas, to stop hiding what I’m so passionate about, this cause I’m fighting for. And it’s time to start sharing those ideas
19th of November with Marshall Goldsmith – “Say no to that fifth glass of champagne.”
“More productive. Okay, Marshall?”
“Say no to assignments. They don’t really matter anyway. By the way, all that guilt, guilt pass, say no to guilt.”
“Bonus no! Say no to guilt.”
“No to guilt!”
20th of November – It’s the 20th of NOvember. And today we are saying no to this expression that I’m hearing everywhere now, the term “fail fast.”
21st of November with Michael Bungay Stanier – “Hey, the new book is called ‘The Advice Trap.’ And here’s what I’m saying no to. It’s pretty predictable. Stop giving so much advice. You are an advice-giving maniac. I don’t even know you, but you’re crazy for it.”
22nd of November – Okay, so NOvember 22nd and we are saying no to at least three automated subscription emails that we don’t want anymore.
23rd of November with Liz Wiseman – “Well, here’s my favorite thing to say no to. And it’s funny because this is an award ceremony for great management thinking. And I find I do my best thinking when I just don’t overthink things, when I don’t sit it and ruminate and second guess and argue back and forth with myself. When we have an idea, we move it forward. We get feedback. So don’t overthink things. If you have an idea, experiment, and do it.”
24th of November (Part 1) with David Burkus – “Say no to goals. So here’s the deal. A couple of other people have said systems work better than goals. I don’t even think you need that. I think what you need to ask yourself is, ‘If I wanted to hit this goal, what do I need to show up to every day?'”
24th of November (Part 2) with Jill Schiefelbein – “If it doesn’t serve both your personal and professional lives, no is the right answer.”
25th of November with Aga Bajer – “My suggestion is, say no to being nice and say yes to being kind.”
26th of November with Dan Pontefract – “No more time suckages.”
27th of November with Amii Barnard-Bahn – “I would say no to listening to the same voices all the time.”
28th of November with Richie Norton – “You should say no to being smart. I know that’s anti what most people would think. Usually when you’re trying to be smart, you’re actually also trying to avoid failure. So the idea is to lean into stupid and turn that into the new smart.”
29th of November with Safi Bahcall – “Say no to meetings on Fridays. Pick one month. Just say no. Use Fridays to think, to catch up, to make plans for the weekend and the next week. No meetings. Get all your meetings done in the first four days of the week.”
30th of November – The last day, the very last challenge. You can do this one at work, but equally as much at home… (she says while traveling with her 17-year-old daughter). It’s really important with teenagers. We are going to say no to invalidating. Okay, thanks. Let me know what you think. Bye.