Why I finally stopped saying yes to every extra project

I used to take on every extra task at my job, thinking it would help my career. Last year, I decided to start setting clear limits and only accept projects that fit my goals. For example, when my manager asked me to lead a low-priority committee, I said no and suggested someone else. This freed up my time for work that really mattered, and I got promoted six months later. My stress went down, and I feel more in charge of my career. Has anyone else found that being picky with projects helped them?

4 comments

4 Comments

derek_hill1mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, took me way too long to learn that. Still paying for that.

emmaking20d ago

Yeah, that "still paying for it" thing @derek_hill said is so real. It's like you burn out so hard that even after you stop, you're just catching up on sleep and fixing stuff you let break for years.

tessap731mo agoTop Commenter

Dig into what you mean by still paying for that. Like, are we talking actual physical health costs from the stress, or like relationship stuff you let slide, or even just missing out on better job chances because you were too busy? I'm trying to figure out the real price tag, lol.

jade_shah791mo ago

Yeah, what's the real cost? I mean, @tessap73, for me it was all of it. My back was a mess from stress, I barely saw my friends for a year, and I know I passed on a couple gigs because I was too fried to even look. The price tag is your whole life for a while.