Stop Saying Yes To New Work: Use My 5-Step Triage Process To Do Less & Increase Your Impact
Here’s my proven process to quickly parse work requests and reduce anxiety.
🗑️ #1: Can this task be eliminated? 🤔 #2: Can I delegate this to someone else? 🤖 #3: Can I automate this task (now and in the future?) 🗓️ #4: Can I reduce the scope even if I decrease the delivery window? 🤝 #5: If all are no — I accept, promise a date, and complete the task.
I’ve used this framework for years to ensure I wasn’t saying yes to work I would regret later.
This works for individual contributors, mid-level managers, execs, and solopreneurs.
The key is to run this triage process in real time while the request is being made. This makes you look like a problem solver. Requesting changes to the scope after the fact makes you look indecisive and lazy — even if you originally had good intentions to help.
Even if you have a wonky manager or unreasonable customer — you can always be in control.
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