Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2024 takes a deep dive into the inner workings of exhibitions and events with six unique learning tracks from thought leaders such as Yvette Simpson, Esq, MBA, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Yvette Simpson LLC. She will present the session, Power of No: Shifting from FOMO to JOMO to Overcome Overwhelm.
There are so many demands on our time: work, family, home, staying connected and capturing it all on social media – it can feel impossible to find time to take care of oneself. It is tempting to believe that we can do everything. After years of being told to lean in and say ‘YES,’ so many of us are worn out, burned out, overwhelmed and over it. It is tempting, especially for high achievers, to believe that you can work your way to success and happiness. But, there is a cost to ‘YES’ and often you pay the price in overwhelm and even burnout.
Yvette will teach participants to develop a plan with intention revolving around time and wellness. Learn to embrace JOMO (joy of missing out) when it serves you, saying ‘YES’ only to the things that align strategically with your personal and professional objectives and goals.
You will help participants understand why they say ‘YES’ even when it doesn’t serve their personal or professional objectives and goals. In your experience, what are the most common psychological or social factors that drive people to make commitments that do not align with their goals, and how can individuals become more aware of these influences in their decision-making process?
There is a societal pressure to do all the things, and that this somehow leads to success. Those of us who are naturally people pleasers, conflict avoiders, insecure or indecisive are naturally inclined to say ‘YES’ for fear of missing out or “FOMO.” To be clear, saying ‘YES’ isn’t always a bad thing. As a purpose and intention coach, I make it clear that saying ‘YES’ isn’t always a bad thing. When you are in an exploratory or discovery phase, or if you are someone who is more inclined to say ‘NO’ to everything, saying ‘YES’ can be a good thing. But as your purpose, passion, and professional goals become clearer, it is actually more strategic and productive to only say ‘YES’ to things that align with those things.
You will teach attendees how to “count the costs” of ‘YES’ to one’s health and well-being, and evaluate their “capacity calendar” using the 168-52-12-4 method. Can you walk us through this method and explain how it helps individuals quantify the true cost of saying ‘yes’?
There is a real myth, a lie really, that we tell ourselves that we have time to do it all, when time is a finite and limited resource. The 168-52-12-4 method is a practical way that we help people consider the many ways to measure and capture their time while realizing there is only so much of it. Whether you think of your time in hours, weeks, months, minutes or seconds, you can’t make more of it. And when you realize this, you are much more likely to protect it and the true cost of giving it away. Our capacity calendar isn’t just about time – it’s about optimizing or mastering time, meaning when we apply our energy to our time resource in a way that is most productive and efficient.
You also offer the ‘YES’ test to “check one’s alignment” before accepting an invitation, opportunity and/or responsibility. Could you describe the key components of this test, and provide an example of how someone might apply this test when faced with a challenging decision?
The ‘YES’ test and checking your alignment is a very practical and easily applicable test I teach participants to use each time they consider taking on a new commitment that will require their limited time and energy. At its core, it’s all about prioritizing the things that are most important to you. Without giving it all away before the session, we use the metaphor of ourselves as a luxury car and the ‘YES’ test is all about making sure we treat ourselves that way.
What fuels your passion for this subject, and why is this information so relevant in today’s business environment?
I have personally experienced burnout in my life more than once, and I have coached and counseled many leaders through it. I want people to know that overwhelm and burnout isn’t a sign of weakness or something to fear or be ashamed of, but instead a natural consequence of the vicious cycle pattern of work and life imbalance. Like anything, if we learn the tools and put them in place we can prevent it, and when we experience it, work through it successfully.
