Saying “No”, even to yourself

As with everything in life, there are limits.

Bank accounts have a limit of how much you can withdraw based on how much you actually have.

Credit cards and lines of credit have limits on how much you can borrow.

Your time is no different, and no less precious.


As a freelancer, it can be very difficult to say “No” to anything that involves earning money, only because you’re scared there won’t be a chance to say “No” in the future, when there’s a lull in work.

You wonder if you are able to take on just another project on the side, or save money on one  hotel room night by working a compressed 4-day workweek, that consists of 10 hours a day.

The end result is you are stressed out, frustrated, disappointed and not quite on the ball.

You start snapping at people, feeling fatigued, unhappy when you can’t go out for an impromptu event, and your work suffers.

So the question to ask is: Is it really worth this extra money, or savings?

For me, it wasn’t.

I had tried to save a night of travel expenses by working a 4-day workweek while commuting to another city, and at the end of the mere 2 months, I was burned out.

(That, and the work environment at my client was really toxic and stressful).

Now that I’m on a 5-day workweek (a personal decision), where I have time in the morning to wake up, do some yoga and watch a video or two, I’m a lot happier.

The savings were not worth it in the end, because it caused me a lot of stress.

Sometimes you just need to say “No”, even if it’s to yourself.

About the Author

Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver. I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year. Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about my story here, or visit my other blog: The Everyday Minimalist.