#248| One No Can Change Your Week: Overwhelm, Productivity, Time Management & People Pleasing

What if saying “no” to just one thing this week could instantly make you feel calmer and less overwhelmed?

For many working women, May feels like a pressure cooker filled with work deadlines, school events, family obligations, and endless expectations to “handle it all.” In this episode, Michelle shares why constantly saying yes keeps you stuck in overwhelm—and how one small, intentional no can help you reclaim your time, energy, and peace of mind.

In this episode, you will:

•  Learn how to catch yourself before automatically saying yes out of habit or guilt 
•  Discover why practicing one small “no” can build confidence and reduce overwhelm 
•  Understand how to handle the discomfort that comes with setting boundaries without second-guessing yourself 

Press play to learn the simple mindset shift that can help you feel calmer, more intentional, and less overwhelmed starting this week.

Wondering why you're overwhelmed? Take my "why am I overwhelmed" quiz to find out the source of your overwhelm, and what to do about it. 

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Work With Me - Interested in working with me 1-on-1, taking a class, or joining one of my coaching groups? Message me here to get the scoop.   

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Life can be overwhelming, but on this podcast, you'll discover practical strategies to overcome overwhelm, imposter syndrome, and negative self-talk, manage time effectively, set boundaries, and stay productive in high-stress jobs—all while learning how to say no and prioritize self-care on the Overwhelmed Worki...

Transcript

Michelle Gauthier 0:00

Say no to one thing. That's it. That's the whole episode. You're listening to Overwhelmed Working Woman, the podcast that helps you be more calm and more productive by doing less. I'm your host, Michelle Gauthier, a former Overwhelmed Working Woman and current life coach. On this show, we unpack the stress and pressure that today's Working Woman experiences. And in each episode, you'll get a strategy to bring more calm, ease, and relaxation to your life. Hi, friend, welcome back. I want to talk to you about something that feels really relevant right now because if you're anything like me or the women I work with, May has arrived and it has arrived with a lot. Last year I think I did a whole episode on how May is the new December because it is just tends to be so busy, especially if you're a parent, end of your school events, sports seasons are in full swing, family things popping up, graduations, work deadlines that don't care what else you have going on. And somehow on top of it, there's this quiet expectation, maybe from others, maybe from yourself, that you will just handle it all. And you probably will, because that's what you do, right? But here's what I want to offer you today. Not a totally new system or a productivity hack. Just one small, probably uncomfortable, surprisingly powerful thing you can do this week to start feeling less like you're white knuckling your way through the month of

The Challenge

Michelle Gauthier 1:29

May. And that is to say no to one thing. That's it. That's the whole episode. By the end of the episode today, you'll learn how to notice the automatic pull to say yes before you act on it. That's the key before you act on it. Why no is way more powerful than you might think. And what to do when saying no feels uncomfortable, because it will. It just does, especially right at first. Okay, let's jump in.

Catch The Automatic Yes

Michelle Gauthier 1:52

Before you can say no, you have to catch yourself when you're about to say yes, either out of habit or just against your own will. So this week I want you to pay attention to that moment when someone asks something of you, or even if they don't, and you're just about to volunteer to add one more thing to your already full plate and you feel that automatic pull to agree, you don't have to fight it yet. Just notice it. Awareness is the first win. And honestly, for a lot of us, that's a win that we've never even tried to get. So just noticing and pausing before you say yes. So here's what I mean. May is a perfect example. There's a hundred things pulling you right now. And your default is probably to say yes. Yes, I'll handle it. Yes, I'll be there. Yes, we can bring the cookies, yes, I'll figure it out. And just noticing that pattern without judging it is really step one. And if that is the progress that you make for this week, just noticing that pattern and noticing that you say yes a lot when you don't want to, we're gonna count that as your win. If you want to take it one step further, I challenge you to say no to something. It can be anything. And like any new skill, the more you practice it, the easier it gets. But you have to start somewhere. So one no this week isn't about changing your whole life. It's just one rep, a practice run. You're just building the muscle to say no. And I talk a lot in this podcast about doing B minus work on purpose, choosing where to give your full effort and where good enough is genuinely good enough. And saying no works the same way. You're not abandoning all your responsibilities, you're just getting intentional about which ones you're actually yours to carry. Just one no this week. That is the rep. Okay. Just try to get that one no. And I want to be honest with you about how this is probably gonna feel. The reason why people don't say no is because they want other people to like them. They don't want anyone to be disappointed with them. And it comes down to they don't want to feel uncomfortable because saying no will feel uncomfortable, especially the first time. It might feel kind of awful. You might feel guilty, you might second guess yourself, you might spend 10 minutes after wondering if you made the right call. That is totally normal. And that is because you have just stepped outside of an old pattern that you've been in for quite some time. So I just want you to notice that discomfort and notice also that you survived it and you did it and you said no. Because on the other side of that uncomfortable moment is something that is really important. And that is proof that you can do it, proof that you can say no. You don't have to say, oh, I'm just not a person who can say no anymore, because you'll have your one rep of saying no. You're not going to overhaul your life. You're just taking this one

Pick One Small No This Week

Michelle Gauthier 4:29

step. So let's just think right now for you and think of something small if saying no to something big feels like too much. Think of a small place where you can say no. Is it something at work? Is it something where you can say no to your kids? Is it a volunteer job that you always do that you're just not gonna do this week? Really brainstorm about something that you don't want to do and practice saying that one no. If this resonated with you, please share it with another woman in your life who needs permission to say no this week. And if you're ready to go deeper to really understand why saying no feels so hard and how to make it feel easier and how to start doing it as your default, I'd love to talk to you. Book a free hour with me to learn about coaching. As always, the link for that is in the show notes. Okay, I can't wait to hear what you say no about. Have a great week. Thank you for listening to the Overwhelmed Working Woman podcast. If you want to learn more about my work, head over to my website at MichelleGauthier.com. See you next week.