The magic and difficulty of the word, "No". [Part 1]
“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all... Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” ~Steve Jobs Somehow, those humble two little letters are some of the most difficult, and simultaneously the most freeing, letters ever combined into an English word. No. It defines a boundary. This post is the first of a series. To start, we'll be talking about the boundary of spaces. For years, I struggled with boundaries. I love to create, to build things, imagine new tools, but I found myself saying yes to every project, every request, and every distraction that came my way. My workspace was a chaotic blend of personal and professional life, with no clear divisions. projects blurred together and layered on top of each other. Spacial boundaries was a nearly non-existent concept when I was a kid growing up. Everything was everywhere. And I did not really have much of a space to my own. Schoolwork and random projects all happened in shared spaces, and a good portion of the work was simply finding and gathering everything needed for each project so that you could begin. My main conflict wasn't a lack of skill or ambition—it was my lack of setting boundaries. This manifested in two critical areas: 1. Spatial Boundaries: Growing up, I never had a dedicated space for my projects. Everything happened in shared, very disorganized spaces, and half the battle was just finding and gathering materials to begin work. Even after moving out on my own, I struggled to create distinct areas for different aspects of my life. 2. Time Boundaries: Without clear work hours, I found myself constantly "on," researching problems at midnight and pounding away at a keyboard during what should have been family time. There are some times where having a dedicated space all to your own for each project simply is not an option. There are, however, still things you can do to carve out your own space, even when you share a workspace or a living-space with others.