Ten cups of coffee.

And you're still sluggish and can't wake up. 

You're not getting enough productive time to do your job. 

Too many lecture notes. Too many to-do lists. 

Or your family is running you in circles—too much of everything. And no sleep. 

And now you've hit burnout.

Depleted of energy, making the simplest of decisions is hard. 

There are many ways and methods for dealing with burnout. 

One that works is learning to say "No." 

Learning how to say "No" to friends, bosses, clients, and customers will recharge your engine. 

It doesn't mean you're a bad person. It's not that extreme. You can be subtle and empathic while still saying "No." 

Figure out what's important and say "No" to the rest of it. 

As Abraham Lincoln said, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax."

The ax is the multiplier. It doesn’t matter how strong you are, if you don't spend time sharpening your ax. 

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