The Yes/No Book: How to Do Less... and Achieve More!

203 Pages·2012·3.99 MB·English

by  Mike Clayton

IF YOU FIND YOURSELF RUSHING THROUGH
LIFE, BALANCING MULTIPLE PRIORITIES,
CONSTANTLY BUSY BUT NOT REALLY GETTING
ANYWHERE, THEN YOU NEED THIS BOOK.
And you’re not alone. Most of us at some point realise
that we have not been focusing on the things that matter.
To please others or assuage our own guilt, we’ve ended
up saying yes to doing things which are both time
consuming and often counterproductive.
So if you regularly find yourself saying “I need more
time”, don’t turn to time management techniques – they
won’t deliver. But The Yes/No Book will.
It delivers insights and practical techniques which enable
you to take control of your decisions, become less
stressed, less busy and much more productive. It will
give you more time to focus on what matters because
you’ll know exactly what to say yes to, when it’s best to
say no and how to do both with confidence.
Now you can invest your time in doing all those
important things that can further your career,
your business, your reputation and your goals.
£10.99
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
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www.pearson-books.com
Cover design by Dan Mogford
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The
YES/
NO
Book
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The
YES/
NO
Book
HOW TO DO LESS…
AND ACHIEVE MORE
MIKE CLAYTON
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PEARSON EDUCATION LIMITED
Edinburgh Gate
Harlow CM20 2JE
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Web: www.pearson.com/uk

First published 2012 (print and electronic)
© Pearson Education Limited 2012 (print and electronic)
The right of Mike Clayton to be identified as author of this work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Pearson Education is not responsible for the content of third-party internet sites.
ISBN: 978-0-273-77240-8 (print)
978-0-273-78149-3 (PDF)
978-0-273-78148-6 (ePub)
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for the print edition is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for the print edition is available from the Library of Congress
The print publication is protected by copyright. Prior to any prohibited reproduction,
storage in a retrieval system, distribution or transmission in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, permission should be
obtained from the publisher or, where applicable, a licence permitting restricted
copying in the United Kingdom should be obtained from the Copyright Licensing
Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
The ePublication is protected by copyright and must not be copied, reproduced,
transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way
except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the
terms and conditions under which it was purchased, or as strictly permitted by
applicable copyright law.  Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a
direct infringement of the author’s and the publishers’ rights and those responsible
may be liable in law accordingly.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
16 15 14 13 12
Illustrations by Toni Goffe
Design by Design Deluxe
Print edition typeset in 11pt Helevetica Neue LT Pro by 30
Print edition printed and bound in Great Britain by Henry Ling Ltd, at Dorset Press,
Dorchester, Dorset
NOTE THAT ANY PAGE CROSS REFERENCES REFER TO THE PRINT EDITION
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To Regina Clayton
An inspiration in taking on something important and saying YES.
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Contents
About the author ix
Author’s acknowledgements xi
Introduction xii
PART ONE Stuck on Yes 1
1 Meet the Gopher 3
2 B ury the Gopher 15
PART TWO YES or NO? 33
3 The meaning of NO 35
4 When to say ‘YES’ and when to say ‘NO’ 59
5 H ow to say ‘YES’ 91
PART THREE Choosing NO 105
6 The psychology of NO 107
7 Say ‘NO’ for now 125
8 The Yes/No Compass 139
9 How to say ‘NO’ 151
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viii CONTENTS
CLOSING THOUGHTS Super-NO 173
APPENDIX Saying ‘NO’ to … 177
Colleagues and customers 177
Deals and decisions 178
Friends and family 179
Treats and temptations 180
Irrational thinking 181
WHO ELSE NEEDS THE YES/NO BOOK? 183
Also by Mike Clayton 185
Mike can say ‘YES’ to your organisation 186
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About the author
Like many of his readers, Mike Clayton first became
successful by saying ‘yes’ and delivering on his commit-
ments. But as he experienced more and more calls on his
time, he became aware that he was in danger of failing, and
as he had more opportunities, he needed to find a way to
choose which ones to follow.
Mike has been a successful project manager and
management consultant, before changing career and
becoming a successful coach and trainer, founding two
training businesses. Now in his third career as a speaker and
author, Mike has got more done than most, yet said NO to
more things than he has said yes to.
Mike has been a Senior Manager at international consulting
firm, Deloitte, a freelance trainer and coach, a company
director, a school governor at two schools (serving as
Chair of Governors at one) and a charity trustee. He is now
in demand as a public speaker and is the author of eight
books to date, including Smart to Wise, and four in Pearson
Education’s ‘Brilliant’ series.
The Yes/No Book is Mike’s very personal take on how to
get more done by knowing when to say ‘YES’, when to say
‘NO’, and how to do either with confidence and style.
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