You will have to say no to things to say yes to your work. It will be worth it. —Lin Manuel Miranda

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Rebecca is three months into her job.

Since the day she started, she’s said the same thing.

I need time to roll up my sleeves, dig in, and really get to know the business.

But she hasn’t yet had time to do it.

Each day is fully booked, with pulls on her time from her team and her boss.

Worse still, she’s no longer new in her job.

After three months, she is expected to be up-to-speed.

But she still hasn’t found the time.

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I’m reminded of my years working at Apple.

I went through similar times, when there weren’t enough hours in the day.

Even in those times, there were days when I broke the pattern of my schedule.

My boss held an off-site.

I had an over-seas business trip.

I attended a full-day workshop on a key topic.

I distinctly remember the ah-ha moment I had after one of these events.

It was after a 2-day offsite, and I was returning to a full schedule, often double-booked.

As I tried to figure out how to fit everything in, it hit me.

Why can I make two full days available for a workshop, but I can’t block even 60 minutes for myself to complete an important assignment?

The simple truth?

We value our commitments to others more than our commitments to ourself.

Most people, myself included, will give up work time blocked on their calendar for someone who needs to meet with them.

But you can make a different choice.

If you really need the time, honor the commitment to yourself to get it done.

(If you need help saying “no”, let me know and I’ll send you 10 ways to say no more easily.)

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As much as blocking work time on your calendar helps you get things done,

It’s not the way to master to your to-do list.

In my last call with Rebecca, I asked her a question about this long delayed to-do list item.

It’s a simple question, but it’s a powerful one.

Is it still necessary?

If you’ve had something on your to-do list for a month, let alone 3 months, you have to ask if it’s still relevant.

In Rebecca’s case, she had learned on-the-fly and now needed only a fraction of the time she originally planned.

You too likely have items on your list that have outlived their usefulness.

Business moves quickly, and if you’ve gone weeks without doing something, you can likely keep going without doing it at all.

You master your to-do list by removing the things that don’t really need to get done.

You may want to get them done, even think you need to get them done, but think again.

What will really move the needle for you and your company?

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To removing things from the list,

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P.S. Removing things from your to-do list is a lot like saying no. If you want my list of 10 ways to say no more easily, just reply “No List” to this message and I’ll send it to you.

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