# The Power of Saying No  ## About - Author: Tim Harford - Title: The Power of Saying No - Tags: #articles - URL: http://timharford.com/2015/01/the-power-of-saying-no/ ## Highlights However dizzying the idea of opportunity cost may be, it’s something we must wrap our heads around. Will I write a book review? Will I chair a panel discussion on a topic of interest? Will I give a talk to some students? In isolation, these are perfectly reasonable requests. But viewing them in isolation is a mistake: it is only when viewed through the lens of opportunity cost that the stakes become clearer. Will I write a book review and thus not write a chapter of my own book? Will I give a talk to some students, and therefore not read a bedtime story to my son? Will I participate in the panel discussion instead of having a conversation over dinner with my wife? --- The insight here is that every time we say “yes” to a request, we are also saying “no” to anything else we might accomplish with the time. It pays to take a moment to think about what those things might be. --- Saying “no” is still awkward and takes some determination. Nobody wants to turn down requests for help. But there is one final trick that those of us with family commitments can try. All those lessons about opportunity cost have taught me that every “no” to a request from an acquaintance is also a “yes” to my family. Yes, I will be home for bedtime. Yes, I will switch off my computer at the weekend. And so from time to time, as I compose my apologetic “sorry, no”, I type my wife’s email address in the “bcc” field. The awkward email to the stranger is also a tiny little love letter to her. - Note: Practice this! ---