The Question That Changed How I Work

"If you say yes to everything, what are you saying no to?"

A mentor said that to me almost 10 years ago. I still ask myself that question on a daily basis.

At the time I was in a coordinator role at a fast-growing startup, and my default answer to everything was the same: I'll take it on.

So that question from my mentor hit me like a brick wall. It forced me to zoom out and ask something harder: what actually needs a human, and what just needs a better system?

Delegating is better than doing it all yourself, but the real unlock is identifying what can be automated entirely; the repeatable stuff that doesn't need your judgment, or anyone else's.

Once that's off your plate, you can focus on the work that actually moves the needle for your business (and reclaim time for yourself along the way).

The same is true for most founders I work with. They're not doing too little; they're just saying yes to too much of the wrong stuff, including work a well-built system could be doing for them.