The Economy of You by Kimberly Palmer

Author:Kimberly Palmer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AMACOM Books

THE POWER OF NO

After my first book came out, I worked hard to promote it, writing dozens of guest blog posts and appearing on as many television and radio shows that would have me, no matter how small the audience. This work could take up to ten hours (or more) each week, and of course it didn't come with a paycheck. But I was happy to do it, because I wanted to spread the word about my book.

Even after those initial months of post–book launch, I kept getting requests for guest blog posts, to appear as a guest on podcasts and online radio shows, and to speak to small groups. For a while, I kept saying yes; after all, if even just one person bought my book because of it, I felt satisfied. As a result, my typical work week, which already exemplified the harried juggle of a working mom rushing from preschool drop-off to work and then back for preschool pickup, became even more hectic. As soon as I put my daughter Kareena to bed, rushing through Goodnight Moon as quickly as possible, I'd race down to my basement office for a Skype interview with a blogger. Then, it was back upstairs to start preparing her lunch for the next day and making dinner. My husband, who was usually just arriving home from work, and I would quickly eat before collapsing in bed.

The last straw came when a local political group asked me to speak to them about getting their finances in order. Since that's one of my favorite topics, I happily said yes, even though it would be an unpaid gig. The host suggested that I sell my books after the talk, so any sales would be my compensation. I spent time preparing my speech and practicing it, and then showed up after work at 7 p.m. one evening at a nearby office building to give my workshop to about thirty young professionals.

The workshop seemed to go well, and the audience asked good questions about where to invest and how much to save. They clapped when it was over and, though they seemed appreciative of my efforts—the host gave me a box of chocolates as a thank you—no one bought a single book. As I carted my bag of books back out to my car, exhausted after a long day and missing my daughter, I thought: Why am I doing this? Why did I agree to spend hours preparing for and giving this talk, and give up time with Kareena, when I didn't really get anything out of the exchange? Sure, I love spreading financial literacy, and it feels good to be helping people, but that work was starting to come at too high a price to my own life.

After that night, I started saying no—not always, but much more often. I became more protective of my limited free time, and energy. When I felt really crunched, I even started saying no to some paying gigs, such as

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