We encounter a bewildering array of choices in our lives. Our days seem to be filled with making numerous decisions at work and at home for ourselves, our employees, our spouses and our children. Decision fatigue can be sharp, draining and disempowering.

I’ve found a simple, yet powerful solution for this. Pare down a lot of your decisions by saying No.

Here are some examples where a No can simplify your life, declutter your mind and empower you towards a more optimal life:

Say No With Your Job Choices. If you have the luxury to do so, decline the job that does not interest you. Say no to the project that is so boring that you have to push yourself at the last minute to extract some creative juice. Free up your days to explore what you really want to do, reach out to people you really want to work with and get going. Do it today and do it now – waiting for the “perfect time” is a no-win game.

Say No to Omniscient Technology. From reaching for our mobiles when we wake, to grabbing a “few more pages” of a book on Kindle before hitting the sack, we use technology all the time. Let’s stop. The net is filled with stories of icons like Jobs and Nadella limiting technology in their homes, but it doesn’t take much to see too much tech is crippling our social interactions and harming our children. It’s time to say no.

Say No to Negativity. As we continue the journey of life, we come across many people in different guises. We need to discriminate between the ones who will take us forward and the ones who bet on us failing. Let’s say no to continuing in toxic relationships that don’t make us better people, and say yes to the Platonic “friends of virtue”. Life is too short to waste on pointless chatter.

No can be empowering. No can open many significant Yes doors. No can free up our time, money and brain cells – valuable resources we can use to achieve, and spend time with our loved ones.

It’s time to say No.

What do you think?