In a portfolio career, requests have a funny way of multiplying. A speaking gig here, a board invite there, a coffee catch-up that sounds valuable but drains you for days. The answer to all of them is technically "yes" right up until the moment it isn't. 

Katie is 18 months into consulting and a portfolio career, and she came to me with a problem a lot of people share: she's getting busier, she cares deeply about protecting time for values-driven work, and saying no is a muscle she's still building. 

This episode is part of The Work Edit, a format on How I Work where I sit down with someone facing a real professional challenge and we work through it together live. 

We cover my yes triage framework, the no club concept, the to-don't list, the never again list, and a simple rule called the next Tuesday test. 

Katie and I discuss:
The yes triage: three questions to run every request through before deciding, and why you need a "hell yes" to at least two of them 
Why saying yes out of flattery or guilt is so common, and how to catch yourself doing it 
The no club: how a small group of trusted colleagues can give you the objective perspective you can't give yourself 
The to-don't list and how to use it monthly to protect your energy from the things you already know drain you 
The never again list for the spectacularly bad decisions you keep forgetting you made 
Why a slow no is not polite and why a fast no within 24 hours is almost always the kinder move 
The next Tuesday test: how to reality-check a far-off commitment by imagining it was happening this week 

Key quotes 

"A slow no is actually unkind because the other person is just waiting and probably following up when they could already be finding someone who'll say yes." 

"What all these strategies do is reduce cognitive load. There's no longer a decision to make. There's just a rule to follow." 

 

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M 

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha.substack.com/ 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au 

Credits: 

Host: Amantha Imber 

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler 

In a portfolio career, requests have a&nbsp;funny&nbsp;way of multiplying. A speaking gig here, a board invite there, a coffee catch-up that sounds valuable but drains you for days. The answer to all of them is technically "yes" right up until the moment it&nbsp;isn't.&nbsp;
Katie is&nbsp;18 months&nbsp;into consulting and a portfolio career, and she came to me with a problem a lot of people share: she's getting busier, she cares deeply about protecting time for values-driven work, and saying no is a muscle she's still building.&nbsp;
This episode is part of The Work Edit, a format on How I Work where I sit down with someone facing a real professional&nbsp;challenge&nbsp;and we work through it together live.&nbsp;
We cover my yes triage framework, the no club concept, the to-don't list, the never again list, and a simple rule called the next Tuesday test.&nbsp;
Katie and I discuss:
<ul>
<li>The yes triage: three questions to run every request through before deciding, and why you need a "hell yes" to at least two of them&nbsp;</li>
<li>Why saying yes out of flattery or guilt is so common, and how to catch yourself doing it&nbsp;</li>
<li>The no club: how a small group of trusted colleagues can give you the objective perspective you&nbsp;can't&nbsp;give yourself&nbsp;</li>
<li>The to-don't&nbsp;list and how to use it monthly to protect your energy from the things you already know drain you&nbsp;</li>
<li>The never again list for the spectacularly bad decisions you&nbsp;keep&nbsp;forgetting you made&nbsp;</li>
<li>Why a slow no is not polite and why a fast no within 24 hours is&nbsp;almost always&nbsp;the kinder move&nbsp;</li>
<li>The next Tuesday test: how to reality-check a far-off commitment by imagining it was happening this week&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Key quotes&nbsp;
"A slow no is actually unkind because the other person is just waiting and probably following up when they could already be finding someone who'll say yes."&nbsp;
"What all these strategies do is reduce cognitive load.&nbsp;There's&nbsp;no longer a decision to make. There's just a rule to follow."&nbsp;
&nbsp;
My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: <a href="https://amzn.to/48ID29M">https://amzn.to/48ID29M</a>&nbsp;
Connect with me on the socials:&nbsp;Linkedin&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber">https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber</a>)&nbsp;
Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanthai">https://www.instagram.com/amanthai</a>)&nbsp;
If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and&nbsp;simple to apply&nbsp;tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at&nbsp;<a href="https://amantha.substack.com/">https://amantha.substack.com/</a>&nbsp;
Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amantha.com/podcast">https://www.amantha.com/podcast</a>&nbsp;for full show notes from all episodes.&nbsp;
Get in touch at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:amantha@inventium.com.au">amantha@inventium.com.au</a>&nbsp;
Credits:&nbsp;
Host: Amantha Imber&nbsp;
Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler&nbsp;

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets - the daily strategies behind their success through to life hacks and productivity hacks they’d rather keep to themselves. We’re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that’ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who’ve cracked the code.

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets&nbsp;- the daily strategies behind their success through to&nbsp;life hacks and productivity hacks they&rsquo;d rather keep to themselves. We&rsquo;re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that&rsquo;ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who&rsquo;ve cracked the code.

Have you ever wondered if the worlds leading entrepreneurs, writers, musicians and business people construct their day differently to you?

How I Work

The Work Edit: Struggling to say no? The method I use that makes every decision easier

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/d73a071d-4921-42e2-96a9-b4650024934f/transcript