Plan A: I will say “No” more

Plan B: Easy for a 2-year-old, but tougher for a lot of us post-toddlers. “We want people to like and respect us, we don’t want to disappoint them,” says Frank Andrasik, Ph.D. It’s a two-step process: Respond automatically to every request by stalling: “Let me check my calendar (or with my husband/boss/kids) to see what else I’ve got going on.” Then assess: Do you honestly care about this person or project? Are you the only, or even the best person for it? If one of those answers is no, Dr. Andrasik suggests that you beg off diplomatically by stating that you don’t have enough time to do the kind of job you’d want to.