No, No, No

How to say no, a collection of templates that answer "no" to any possible question.

Maker's schedule, manager's schedule, an essay by Paul Graham explaining that meetings for makers and managers have very different costs.

Here's what it costs to say yes, an essay by Ryan Holiday to explain his calendar anorexia.

The last of these quotes Seneca:

No person would give up even an inch of their estate, and the slightest dispute with a neighbor can mean hell to pay; yet we easily let others encroach on our lives—worse, we often pave the way for those who will take it over. No person hands out their money to passers-by, but to how many do each of us hand out our lives! We’re tight-fisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers.

A Year of Radical No's

Sue Fletcher-Watson describes her plan for A Year of Radical No's and follows up with Nine Months of Saying No – an update. Thanks to Vashti Galpin for the pointer!

So my main fear was that this Strategic Leadership Course would try to feed me time management tips, taking up 6 precious days of my time, when what I need is just LESS WORK. Thank the lord, far from it. ... One session left a particularly strong impression on me.  We spent some focused time considering the work-life balance challenges of another person on the course, culminating in offering them some advice. My advice? Say No, for a whole year, to everything new. Conferences, training, collaborations, journal reviews, student supervisions, the whole lot. Their response? Laughter.  None of us could imagine doing such a thing.

My email is a monster

My New Year's resolution is to look at my e-mail at most once a day. If you need a response in less than a day or two, please arrange it with me in advance or use a different medium. Cartoon courtesy of Oatmeal.