How To Say “No”
May 21, 2007 by Anne Wayman
Filed under Jobs
Sharlene Thomas BellaOnline’s Career Training Editor and forum member has a nifty new article called Saying No Requires Planning for Freelancers.
“No” is one of the most powerful and useful words in the world, in my not so humble opinion. It’s particularly useful for freelance writers. We need to set boundaries with clients and we must to honor our own needs if we’re to be truly effective.
Write well and often,
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It’s funny– I’ve noticed how important “No” is with freelancing, but it’s become necessary with my offline life, as well. I can’t begin to tell how my friends and acquaintances ask me to volunteer or do something because I “work from home.” They must think I sit here and eat bon bons all day or something! I sometimes even have to ignore the phone while I work! “No” is important indeed!
The real strength in a negotiation is the ability to walk away.
When I was newer to the biz, I was terrible at “no.”
I quickly trained my clients that they could ask for — and get — almost anything.
It was a recipe for overwork, underpayment, and burnout.
Great post!
Thanks Tom.