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How to Gracefully Decline Extra Work

Your home office may be open all hours, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit in it at 2 a.m. because your boss keeps piling on extra work. You can and should have a say in whether to accept extra work that’s beyond your regular scope or that you just don’t have time to add to your plate. Here’s how to decline work with a grace that won’t impact your next performance review.

Give a firm but sympathetic delivery

How you say no matters, and a snippy, flippant, or entitled declination won’t help your professional image. So when you turn down work, follow up with an explanation why and offer some kind words about the project and the task-giver. If the project is super important but you’re just too busy, your boss may rearrange your priorities to accommodate the work. But how else will your boss know this is necessary if you don’t say no first?

Make it about you

Own that no! This decision is about you and your priorities, so try saying, “Thanks for thinking of me for this project, but I’m just too busy to take this on right now.” Stay away from blame statements like, “You always give me last-minute projects.” If you’ve consistently turned down one person’s projects, have a separate conversation about why you’ve had to decline their requests.

Be honest and decisive

If you’re clear that you need to say no and why you need to say it, deliver the message quickly and decisively. Delay will only confuse the issue and make you look wishy-washy, so be sure to first think through what you want to say. Finally, give valid reasons for saying no. Saying no might not hurt your career, but being caught in a lie sure will!

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