How do I say no to people who want to talk to me about something?​

AKA, “Can I meet with you to talk about X?”

Only you can prevent forest fires.

Oh, wait—no.

Only you can protect your time.

Possible scripts:

  • Push it to after tax season:
    “Maybe. Right now, my time is fully allocated for a smooth tax season. Let’s pick this up after April 21st.”

  • If it’s sure to be short, but not today or this week:
    “Can we sort it out over Slack/Teams/email? Or jump on a quick Zoom next week?”

  • If you’re a fan of time-blocking:
    “Sure—grab a spot on my calendar. I reserve Friday mornings for short meetings.”
    (Bonus: Set up your Calendly with half of Friday open, limit meetings to short slots, and require a question field so there’s a clear agenda.)

Only you can protect your time.

 
 

Is it a struggle for you to protect your time?

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Geraldine Carter