When the possibilities are endless, it’s hard for a hungry man to say “no.”

That’s why men who go to an all-you-can-eat buffet often walk out in major physical discomfort. It’s also the reason high-achieving men end up working ridiculous hours and have no idea how to say no at work.

Hungry men in particular—achievers—don’t know how to say no at work when it matters.

So many kinds of work seem interesting and fulfilling to a high achiever, so you say “yes” to project after project.

Soon, you’ve piled your tiny buffet plate high with all sorts of crap you should never eat.

And you still go back for seconds. And maybe thirds and fourths.

You want all the work you can get your hands on because you want everything you see that comes with it. Respect, knowledge, money, clients, revenue and cool stuff in your garage.

In this episode we guide you through bad reasons you say “yes,” tell you when you should say no and give you an awesome framework for how to say no at work that will help people respect you more for it.

If you’ve piled your work plate too high and don’t know how to restore your life to a manageable level, this episode’s for you.

If you’ve ever said “yes” to a project that made you cringe, you need to hear what we have to say.

And if you simply have a hard time saying no to a work project, click play in the bar above to start improving your mindset.

Click play to find out how to say no at work nicely and more:

• Why you’re always overloaded at work.
• How hunger drives you to say yes when you should be learning how to say no at work.
• Why Bill said “no” to running a growing international non-profit he found interesting.
• A simple practice to cut down your to-do list.
• The one guy you’re a jerk to when you don’t know how to say no at work. (Hint: Look in the mirror.)
• How to get past nice-guy syndrome to say “no” when it matters.
• How to overcome FOMO or “fear of missing out” by redirecting the fear.
• Six reasons you should always say “no.”
• A nice, gentle way to say “no” that others will respect you more for using.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• “The 4-Hour Workweek,” by Tim Ferriss
• “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less,” by Greg McKeown
• “The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results,” by Gary Keller