Listen to the little voice that is protecting you, or be prepared to hit a brick wall at some point. Learn ways to reject work requests without burning bridges, burning yourself or compromising relationships. Here are 4 that I have used a lot this year. Learning to say no to work requests is an important skill that can help you manage your time and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Learn these or copy/paste these responses when you are running low on bandwidth. #2 and #4 are underutilized IMO. I've used some form of all 4 this year. I have them saved on my phone (to respond to texts) and work laptops, so I know when to use them. If you want to become an effective communicator, master the art of respectfully declining work requests to improve your productivity and well-being.