This document provides a 3-step method for saying "no" without feeling guilty: 1. Be honest and say "no" directly instead of hesitating or saying "maybe." Say what you mean to avoid sending mixed messages. 2. Don't over-explain your reasons for saying "no" as too many details may come across as dishonest or open the door to counterarguments. 3. Provide a brief reason for your "no," even if vague, as people are 34% more likely to accept a rejection when a reason is given. An example of an effective "no" statement is provided.

1. HOWTOSAYNOWITHOUTFEELING
GUILTYIN3SUPERSIMPLESTEPS
KOSIOANGELOV

2. Video
04
Don’t Over-Explain
07
Putting It All
Together
09
About Me
11
Honesty Is The Best
Policy
06
Give A Reason Why
08
Your Turn
10

3. PEOPLE THINK FOCUS
MEANS SAYING “YES”
TO THE THING YOU’VE
GOT TO FOCUS ON. BUT
THAT’S NOT WHAT IT
MEANS AT ALL. IT
MEANS SAYING “NO”
TO THE HUNDRED
OTHER GOOD IDEAS
THAT THERE ARE. YOU
HAVE TO PICK
CAREFULLY. I’M
ACTUALLY AS PROUD
OF THE THINGS WE
HAVEN’T DONE AS THE
THINGS I HAVE DONE.
INNOVATION IS SAYING
NO TO 1,000 THINGS.
STEVE JOBS
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4. SUCCESSFULBYDESIGN.COM | 4
You have limited resources. You have limited time, focus, willpower
and energy and you cannot afford to spend any of them on tasks
(or people) that are not going to bring you closer to your goals.
That is why one of the most productive skills you can ever develop
is learning how to say “no”. No to opportunities, tasks and people
that don’t move the needle in your favor.
But saying “no” comes with strings attached.
Click here to open the same video directly in YouTube!
NOTE: if the video does not play inside this document, click on
the link below it to watch it on YouTube.

5. It oftentimes makes you feel guilty. The “what if” mentality also can
kick in. What if you offend the other person, what if you miss out on
a great opportunity?
Let’s remove all these mental obstacles.
Here’s how to say “no” without feeling guilty and in a way that will
make other people actually respect you (and your time more):
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6. Say what you mean and mean what you say.
75% of communication is non-verbal. People read body language in
1/12th of a second and it happens completely subconsciously. If you
want to say “no”, but you end up saying “yes” or “maybe”, your body
will tell the whole story and noone wins.
Your body is bad at masking the truth, so you are always better off
being honest and saying “no” instead of trying to beat around the
bush.
Step1:HonestyIsTheBest
Policy
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7. Plus, you open yourself to counter-
arguments of how you can work
around this issue.
Some details are good, too much
details is bad.
Step2:Don’tOver-Explain
Giving some details of why you
are saying “no” is good, but don’t
over do it.
“This is exactly the day when my
spouse is coming back from
vacation with the kids and I need
to go pick them up because they
bought this big present for me
and we need two cars for all the
luggage…” — don’t be that
person. Even if it is a true story,
you might come across as
dishonest because it sounds like
you are making it all up.
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8. Research tells us that people are
34% more likely to let you cut in
front of the photocopier line if
you give a reason why, even if it
something is silly as “because I
am in a hurry”.
“Because” is a magical word, use
it.
Giving a reason, any reason, why
you are saying “no” makes it 34%
more likely to be accepted by the
other person.
Step 3: Give A
Reason Why
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9. Honest, brief and giving a reason why — the magical formula to
saying “no”. Here’s an example:
“I cannot commit to this because I have other priorities at the
moment”
Let’s break it down. “I cannot commit (a firm no), because (offering a
reason why), I have other priorities at the moment (a reason which is
short and vague enough not to invite counter-arguments and specific
enough not to sound dishonest).
PuttingItAllTogether
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10. YourTurn
here you have it, a 3-step formula to saying “no” when you don’t want
to accept an opportunity or a task that won’t bring you closer to your
goals. Saying “no” is a habit like any other. It might be hard at first,
but it gets easier with every single attempt.
Practice it. Master it. Your productivity and success will be grateful.
And always remember:
Read the full story and get more productivity training here.
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11. KOSIO
ANGELOV Kosio Angelov is the #1 Amazon bestselling author of
the “Lean Email Simple System” and a master trainer
in the art of “doing the right things, the right way”.
For more amazing book summaries, subscribe to his
“Successful By Design” show on YouTube and learn
how to break the busyness bubble, achieve
exponential productivity and live life by design, not
by default.
Extracting the top tactics
and ideas from the best
books in Business & Self-
help so YOU can implement
them faster!
ABOUTME
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