Yes is an agreement. It’s a contract, and it’s a good idea to be careful—even hesitant—of who and what you attach yourself to in verbal contract. Casual agreement can be construed as you making a commitment when perhaps that’s not what you intend.

I have this rule because I like to make people happy, and saying Yes seems like a quick, easy, no-harm-done way to make people happy.

But those quick-and-easy-and-harmless Yeses have gotten me into situations that are long and tiring. They have pulled me into circumstances that are difficult, awkward, and uncomfortable. They have resulted in inefficiency, lost time, frustration, hurt feelings, lost opportunities, and damaged relationships.

Was that too dramatic?

Nah.

You don’t have to say Yes. Okay? You really don’t. Don’t default to Yes. Don’t say yes flippantly. Be aware of its power to bind you, Be aware of its meaning, and don’t say it unless you do mean it.