A lot of people think happiness is about saying “yes” to the right stuff. Well, that’s one side of a coin. There are many things we say “yes” to that we really should be saying “no” to.

For a happier 2019, try saying “no” to the following things:

Personality

1. Mediocrity

You’re almost always better than you think you are.

“I’d rather choke on greatness than nibble on mediocracy” — boldomatic.com

2. Procrastination

Stop thinking, start doing.

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” — Marcus Aurelius

3. Talking Shit About Yourself

Be positive. Don’t seek loathing, seek improvement.

“Just remember; someone loves everything you hate about yourself” — Frank Ocean

4. Selfishness

Be a giver. Be happier.

“Selfish people end up having only their self.” — lovequotesmessages.com

5. Perfection

Don’t waste time on perfection. Great is good enough.

“Perfection is the enemy of progress.” — Winston Churchill

6. Excuses

Ask why three times and you’ll know the real reason.

“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses” — George Washington Carver

7. Always Comparing To Others

Spend time on self-improvement over fascination over competitors.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” — Theodore Roosevelt

8. Impulsive Decisions

Think deeper.

“Impulsiveness is the enemy of deep thinking” — askideas.com

Health & Sleep

9. Unhealthy Food

The more you eat healthy, the tastier the food gets.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live in.” — quotesofdaily.com

10. Skipping A Meal

Your brain needs all the good nutrients it can get to function optimally. Eat better, not less.

“Skipping meal -> Starvation -> Over-eating -> Weight Gain.”

11. Taking The Car

The grocery store is 15 minutes walk away? Walk to it!

“Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.” — Thomas Jefferson

12. The Snooze Button

Be so focused on achieving your goals and set tight deadlines and you won’t ever think about snoozing anymore!

“You Snooze, You Lose” — smart people

13. Partying Every Night

Enjoy a party, but don’t forget your goals, and resting of course!

“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” — Oscar Wilde

14. Stimulants Before Bed

Don’t get in the way of a good sleep.

“Sleep is the best meditation” — Dalai Lama

Productivity

15. Long Commute

Waste as little time as possible on non-productive activities.

“If you have to commute, read or listen to a book, or a podcast.”

16. Distractions

When comes time to be productive. Shut any distractions down.

“You can’t do big things if you’re distracted by small things” — picturequotes.com

17. Blockers Of Personal Progress

Bad friend? Block. Netflix? Block. Video Games? Block. Unblock when comes time to unwind.

“I hate watching an episode a week, I’m more of a season a day kinda person.” — pinterest.ca

18. Reading Things You Don’t Enjoy

Seriously. You don’t have to finish everything you start! The author won’t know. Stop reading shit things, there’s too much great stuff out there!

“Life is too short to read a bad book.” — James Joyce

19. Completing Useless Things

Plan things. Organize priorities. Do the ones that matter.

“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.” — Peter Drucker

20. Planning Things That Don’t Need Planning

Planning is great and all, but don’t forget to execute!

“Just do it!” — Nike

Relationships

21. Takers

Say “yes” to givers. Give yourself.

“Know the difference between those who stay to feed the soil and those who come to grab the fruit.” — pinterest.com

22. Social Media

Uninstall the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram apps from your phone. BAM! I gave you back an hour of your day!

“Never before has a generation so diligently recorded themselves accomplishing so little.” — pinterest.ca

23. Talking Shit About Others

Always be honest. Don’t be a hater.

“Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you.” — unknown

24. Listening To Complaints About Others

Gossiping is poisonous. Avoid people who spread it.

“Who gossips to you will gossip of you” — Turkish Proverb

25. Naysayers

If someone doesn’t have time for you, don’t find time for them. Relationships are mutual.

“Naysayers have little power over us — unless we give it to them.” — Arianna Huffington

Work-Life Balance

26. Bad Routines

Don’t get stuck in a non-productive routine. You can change things around.

“Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” — Warren Buffett

27. Meetings Without An Agenda

These tend to last too long and have no focus. No sense of direction. Avoid them.

“Disorganization can scarcely fail to result in efficiency.” — Dwight Eisenhower

28. Overly Long Team Meetings

Bring people back on track or leave. Seems rude, but in the long run, people will thank you for it.

“Time isn’t the main thing. It’s the only thing.” — Miles Davis

29. Bad Clients

To hell with the good money. If a client is not good to you, focus your energy on the good clients.

“It is better to starve than get a bad client.” — Massimo Vignelli

30. Good

Say “yes” to great.

“Good is the enemy of great” — Jim Collins

31. Cluttered Environment

Have a clean workspace, both physically, mentally and on your computer.

“Clutter is anything that doesn’t support your better self.” — Eleanor Brown

32. Responding To Messages Ad-hoc

As much as possible set blocks of times to answer messages.

“Emails get reaction. Phone calls start conversations.” — Simon Sinek

33. Doing Life Stuff At Work

Give your full attention to your work, it won’t go unnoticed.

“You can always find a distraction if you’re looking for one.” — Tom Kite

34. Doing Work Stuff At Home

Give you full attention to your family, it won’t go unnoticed.

“When you work, work. When you play, play. Don’t mix the two.” — Jim Rohn

35. Doing Things You Can Delegate

Find your superpower, delegate the stuff that’s outside of it.

“As much as you need a strong personality to build a business from scratch, you must also understand the art of delegation.” — Richard Branson

36. A Bad Business Partner

Communication is key. Work things out or walk away.

“I can’t control your behavior; nor do I want that burden… but I will not apologize for refusing to be disrespected, to be lied to, or to be mistreated. I have standards; step up or step out.” — Steve Maraboli

Other

37. Your TV And Couch

Make your environment uncomfortable so you can focus on the things that matter.

“I’ve made it to the couch. There’s no stopping me now!” — coolfunnyquotes.com

38. Waiting For Things You Don’t Need To

Coffee machine? A traffic light when there are other options? A file upload? Just do something else!

“You can’t recycle wasted time.”

39. Things That Don’t Work Towards Your Goals

Question the things you do. Better yet, question it before you start it.

“If it’s not a Hell Yeah!, it’s a no” — Derek Sivers

40. Comparing Apples To Oranges

Don’t waste time comparing things that don’t compare. They’re quantified or qualified using a different set of attributes, it’s not the same thing!

“Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.” — Bill Gates

41. Your Cellphone

Top productive people set their phones on Airplane mode for most of the day.For me, it has become a brick of sorts.

“Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we’re too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone.” — Steven Spielberg

Conclusion

Feel like saying “no” now?

You can start right away! Reading this article on your cellphone? Just toss it!

Learning to say “no” is a skill. Practice it. Master it. Say “no” to the right things in 2019 and you’ll be happier for it.

You can do this!

Thanks for reading, sharing and following! 🙂