Saying No
I did it today, finally, when I should have been doing it a lot more this year per my New Year’s Resolution. I was asked to referee a paper about quasars that sounded pretty interesting, something most of us do in the astronomy community when we have time both to learn and to help exercise some quality control in our field.
I didn’t have much of a choice given my current schedule and work obligations. A colleague from China just arrived to stay with me a couple of weeks to finish a paper, among other things. Anyway, I wanted to celebrate saying no.
I’ve been saying “no” to blogging, too, unfortunately, this past week. I probably worked 70+ hours running the Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop for Writers (including about 15 hours of actual lecture from me) and had to cut back on other things to keep my sanity and energy levels. I will be blogging about another very positive experience soon. Every year has been great, and this year in particular had an enthusiasm that was fantastic.
Have to go do some things I’ve already said “yes” to now, but be empowered to say “no” once in a while. It’s good to have a life and to do things of your own choosing regularly. When you say “yes” too often, even when the stuff is fun, you lose that power.
Originally published at Mike Brotherton: SF Writer. You can comment here or there.