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

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

From How I Work by Amantha Imber

June 10, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

Amantha Imber helps Katie navigate the challenges of saying no in a busy portfolio career.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Amantha Imber

Guest: Katie

Topics covered

  • decision making
  • portfolio career
  • time management
  • saying no
  • professional challenges

Keywords

  • yes triage
  • no club
  • to-don't list
  • next Tuesday test
  • energy management

More episodes of How I Work

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the How I Work podcast page.