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Pro tip: that career advice from my uncle about "always say yes" cost me big time
My uncle works in IT for like 30 years. He told me early in my career to always say yes to every project or task that comes your way. Said it shows you're a team player and gets you noticed. I did that for 2 years at my first job out of college in Austin. Ended up working 60 hour weeks on stuff that had nothing to do with my actual role. Got burned out and my manager said my core work was slipping. When I finally said no to a BS data entry project, nothing happened. No one got mad. My work got better. Has anyone else had to unlearn some bad advice from family?
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carr.elliot1mo ago
Learning to say no is way harder than learning to say yes, honestly...
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Setting clear boundaries early on actually made people respect my time more, not less. Started blocking off focus time on my calendar and telling my boss upfront what I could realistically handle each week. That simple shift saved my sanity and honestly got me better reviews than when I was just saying yes to everything.
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johnson.faith1mo ago
Yep exactly. The thing most people miss is that saying no actually builds trust. When you tell your boss "I can do X but not Y" and then deliver X perfectly, they start taking your word seriously. It shows you understand your own limits and you're not just making empty promises. Plus it forces everyone to be realistic about what's actually possible in a work day. Eventually people stop asking for things last minute because they know you'll just say no.
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