Learning the power of yes and no

- [Narrator] Blink number four. To be free to focus, you must learn the power of yes and no. Today, it's easy to be overworked and over committed. The hard part is having the discipline to prioritize. How is it that some people manage to accomplish so much more than others in the same amount of time? One reason is that highly productive people understand the power of no. Productivity superstars can say no both to unnecessary tasks, as we saw in the last Blink, and to requests from their colleagues and clients. They know that if they allowed them to, these tasks and requests could take up all their time and energy, and prevent them from focusing on important work. Saying no like this becomes far easier when you understand that time is a zero-sum game. You can't add a few extra hours to the day or find spare time like loose change in the sofa. Remember, there are only 168 hours each week. For yea sayers who struggle with no, remember that there is one lurking behind every yes. If you agree to meet for breakfast at 7 a.m., you're saying no to your morning run. Saying yes to working overtime means saying no to dinner with your partner. Bear this in mind when someone asks something of you and be strict with yourself. If someone asks you to proofread his report this evening but you were planning on working out, simply say you have an appointment later. This is entirely true. You have an appointment with yourself. Rituals are another tool that can help protect your time and maximize productivity. This means establishing small routines throughout your week that structure your behavior. One of the best things about rituals is that they give you clarity for the day ahead or closure on the day behind you. In the morning, this clarity translates into work that targets your crucial goals. In the evening, this sense of closure will leave you content and help you rejuvenate, ready for a productive day tomorrow. Rituals are also extremely useful. Once established, they're huge time savers and take very little willpower to execute. Two great rituals are the morning rituals and the workday startup ritual. The finer points will vary from person to person but a morning ritual can include things like making coffee, meditating, journaling and reviewing the upcoming day's goals. Likewise, a workday startup ritual can include catching up with emails, reviewing your schedule and informing colleagues of the hours when you'll be unreachable today. As we'll see in the next Blink, rituals aren't the only way to structure your working life.