Book Club Roundtable: “F*ck No!” by Sarah Knight

Our first ever (and most hilarious) book club roundtable was spent discussing “F*ck No! how to stop saying yes when you can’t, you shouldn’t, or you just don’t want to” by New York Times Bestselling author Sarah Knight. Friends and colleagues Jenn Prochaska, The Write Difference, and Jen Bauer, Joop Art Studio join us to banter over the amazing and funny tips and tricks for saying no.

Key Takeaways

A Guide to the Difficult Two Letter Word: No

This book aligns directly with our message – say No to leave room for Yes’s.

• Leave Room in Your F*ck Budget
  • Spend that time, energy, or money on something you want to do or that serves you.
  • Picture it as your financial budget, funds are not unlimited. Choose your time wisely.

4 Main Personas (Quiz Here to Find Out Which One You Are)

• People Pleasers 
  • Motivated by guilt and fear of letting someone down.
• Overachievers
  • Want to be seen as “yes men” and prove their capability.
• FOMO’ers
  • Afraid to miss out on fun and says yes to avoid being absent from something potentially great.
• Pushovers
  • Do not like making decisions on their own, go with the flow until they realize they are doing something they may not have wanted or like.

What Are Your ‘No’ Options?

• The No and Switch – Say no but offer an alternative, such as:
  • I can’t make that call but I could do the day after.
  • I won’t be able to swing that, but could he come over my house instead?
• No for Now – Listen I would love to do this but I don’t have the capacity, would love to next time.
• Mutual Veto Power – for partners or close loved ones
  • If one party doesn’t want to do something they both choose to not do it.

‘No’ At Work/As a Business Owner

• The FOMO is real! Worrying about missing an opportunity or not making the money you may need can be a constant concern, learn about the abundance mindset in our recent episode here.
• Forget about ‘sunken costs’. Just because you have given time and energy to a client or project or even specialty does not mean you need to remain working with or for them. See it as outgrowing each other or no longer providing what each other needs.

Remember To Take a Pause

An answer doesn’t mean to be instantaneous, you can take some time to decide if something serves you or sounds like an enjoyable time.

What’s Your Power No?

A power no is something that doesn’t even require a response. Your silence is the loudest no you can provide.

• Are there things you won’t even dignify with a response?

Where to Find Our Jen’s

• Jenn Prochaska, The Write Difference –thewritedifference.com
• Jen Bauer, Joop Art Studio – joopartstudio.com 

Where to Find Sarah Knight

• Website – SarahKnight.com
• Instagram – @SarahKnightAuthor

Credits and Thanks

• Many thanks to our friends and families (our “villagers”) for listening, and for your continued support.
• That’s a Hard No is a production of Clever Girl Marketing
• Marketing and Production Coordinator, Maura Del Rosario
• Production Support, Evergreen Podcasts, Noah Foutz, Producer
• New Rock Anthem Music: Written by Noah, and performed by his band, The Big Leagues
• Videographer & Photographer, Jake Donnelly