How To Say No In A World Of Compulsive Yes
Tim Ferriss Show episode in which Tim Ferriss, interviewed about his in-progress book The No Book, co-written with author Neil Strauss, explains why saying no has become a survival skill. Ferriss describes six years of work on the book, his collection of favorite real rejections including Martha Beck's life Tetris line, and his core argument: people cannot say no because they lack big enough yeses to defend, not because they lack templates. He retells the big rocks story from Stephen Covey with a twist - the sand left on the table - and explains his past year review for choosing the few commitments worth protecting. He warns that algorithmic distraction makes the skill as basic as breathing. This short episode carries no separate sponsor read. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this is a short excerpt-style episode summarized in full from its captions; the sample chapters discussed are available separately. These are Ferriss's own views, not professional advice.
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Tim Ferriss Show episode in which Tim Ferriss, interviewed about his in-progress book The No Book, co-written with author Neil Strauss, explains why saying no has become a survival skill. Ferriss describes six years of work on the book, his collection of favorite real rejections including Martha Beck's life Tetris line, and his core argument: people cannot say no because they lack big enough yeses to defend, not because they lack templates. He retells the big rocks story from Stephen Covey with a twist - the sand left on the table - and explains his past year review for choosing the few commitments worth protecting. He warns that algorithmic distraction makes the skill as basic as breathing. This short episode carries no separate sponsor read. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this is a short excerpt-style episode summarized in full from its captions; the sample chapters discussed are available separately. These are Ferriss's own views, not professional advice.