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In today’s fast-paced world, the pressure to “do it all” can feel overwhelming. From managing a thriving business to maintaining a picture-perfect personal life, the expectations set by society and social media can sometimes seem unattainable. We’re bombarded with images of entrepreneurs and influencers who appear to effortlessly balance every aspect of their lives. But here’s the reality check: behind the scenes, they’re not doing it ALL.

In this blog, we’re going to peel back the curtain on this myth of perfection and explore the liberating power of saying no. As someone who’s navigated the waters of trying-to-do-it-all when I started my business, I want to share my journey of discovering that true success isn’t about doing everything. It’s about prioritizing what truly matters and having the courage to say NO often.

Learning to say NO

Picture this: you’re pouring over your never-ending to-do list, fuelled by the pressure to keep it together on every front of your life. No matter how hard you try, the mountain of tasks only seems to grow taller. Been there, done that. 

I vividly remember the days of striving to keep up with every facet of my business and personal life, desperately trying every productivity hack I found. But the more I attempted to juggle it all, the more tangled and overwhelmed I became. 

It wasn’t until I reached a breaking point. I couldn’t keep going like that anymore. I started to simplify my business and life. When I put aside my pride and allowed myself to let the less important things slide, the massive pressure was lifted off my shoulders, and I was able to accomplish things faster because I was no longer spread too thin. I started letting go of old commitments that were no longer aligned with my future. 

I realized the key to successfully “doing it all” wasn’t trying to do EVERYTHING. It was about picking what was THE MOST important and letting go of the rest.

The most freeing lifestyle choice ever.

The ONLY way I can run my business full time and have time for life is by saying NO to thousands of little things or big things regularly.

For example: 

In the past, I would cling to every product/offer I had ever created, convincing myself that as long as they were generating income, discontinuing them would be foolish. After all, I had invested countless hours of hard work and creativity into each one. However, I failed to realize that holding onto every product was actually hindering my progress.

The truth is that every product or offering requires ongoing management and attention. From marketing to customer support, it was taking away my time and energy. By spreading myself too thin across numerous offerings, I diluted my focus and limited my potential for greater success. It wasn’t until I mustered the courage to let go of past ventures that I truly began to move forward.

One pivotal moment came when I made the decision to close my six-figure wedding gift business. Closing that chapter allowed me to redirect my energy toward growing an education business that is more aligned with my long-term life goals. Similarly, I recently made the difficult choice to close my best-selling Etsy Success Academy program. Though highly profitable, it no longer aligned with my evolving goals and vision for the future.

Learning to say no wasn’t just about letting go of past ventures—it was about prioritizing my time and energy in the present. 

In my personal life, saying no became a powerful tool for maintaining better balance and less stress. I learned to decline trips or events in favor of prioritizing more important trips with people I truly love. By saying no to the trivial, I created space for the meaningful experiences that enriched my life.

So now, when you are reading this, you may wonder: How do you know what to say NO to and what to prioritize when it all seems important? Here is what helps me to make strategic choices with my time in business and personal life:

What to prioritize and what to say NO to?

1. Look at all offers/products you currently have in your business, and ask yourself if all of these offers still align with your long-term goal

What are you ultimately trying to achieve with your business in the long term? Are there any offers or activities you are still doing in your business that are holding you back from achieving it?

2. Assess Your Return on Investment (ROI) – in terms of profitability and time commitment

For example, when I had my product business, I quickly realized that some products required significantly more time and effort to produce and fulfill than others. By paying close attention to how much time I spent on each type of product and customer, I understood where my time was being invested and whether it was worth it financially.

This awareness alone allowed me to make informed decisions about which products were worth my time and resources. If some products were taking too much time or resources or my energy because I didn’t enjoy them anymore – I either discontinued them, found a different, easier way to make them or raised the price for them.

3. Assess the Scalability of your offers

Scalability is the ability of your business to easily serve a larger number of customers or clients without running into major problems.

Meaning, if today, 1000 customers would come to buy your main product/offer, would you be able to serve them? And if not – which ones of your products or services are the most demanding? Which ones would cause the most trouble?

Being aware of this can help you to understand what type of products or offers are worth pursuing and limit the ones that are holding you back.

4. Consider Your Expertisem Passion AND Trust Your Intuition

If you continuously find yourself drained or uninspired by a particular offering, product or service you have, it may be a sign that it’s time to let it go.

Prioritization is the blueprint for unlocking true productivity.

One thing that really helps me to stay focused on my priorities is my Notion Goal Planning System, where I plan all my life goals and yearly goals for my personal life and business. It allows me to break down big goals into smaller actionable projects, and prioritize them. This allows me to keep making progress towards my most important goals because I know every month, every week, every day what are my priorities. It’s been such a game-changer to have it all in one place. If you are curious, you can take a look at my Notion goal planner here.

In the end of the day, it’s not about being superhuman; it’s about being intentional with your time and energy so you can make space for experiences that matter to you the most. So the next time you feel the weight of the world bearing down on your shoulders, remember this:

1. Prioritize. Instead of trying to keep up with an impossible standard, get clear on goals and projects that matter the MOST right now for your business and personal life. Identify what you are OK to let go of in this season so you can make more space for the priorities. 

2. Learn to say no and say it often. In a world obsessed with hustle and grind, saying no can be a radical act of self-care. Saying no is not a sign of weakness but a strategic decision to protect your time, energy, and resources. If you have the courage to decline opportunities that don’t align with your priorities or goals, you will achieve progress faster on the goals that matter to you the most and live less stressful life.

3. Trust your intuition, and don’t be afraid to let go of parts of your business that are no longer aligned with your long-term vision. Pay attention to your gut – literally. If the product/offer/service drains you continuously, or you don’t see yourself doing it for the long term, you may need to move on so you can grow forward. Letting go of past commitments or offerings creates space for new opportunities.

Want to dive deeper into this topic and learn more about letting go and prioritizing in business and life? Tune in to today’s podcast episode here 🎧

Talk soon,

Michaela