Spicy Signals · Minibook 01
Before You Say Yes
A simple practice for giving yourself time before you commit
Your yes is valuable. Give it a minute.
A 14-day practice for anyone who says yes in the hallway and finds the cost on their calendar later. One sentence buys you time to decide.
Instant download · fillable PDF · 29 pages · Free sampler
You're the one people ask, because you'll do it well. The slides, the committee, the family dinner, the favor on the way out of a meeting. The yes leaves your mouth before you've looked at your week, and the only open slot turns out to be your evening.
Before You Say Yes gives you one prepared sentence to use when a request can wait: “Let me check what I can take on. I'll get back to you tomorrow.” Then it walks you through what to do with the pause: check what the commitment would really take, decide what fits, and follow up when you said you would.
This isn't about saying no more often. Sometimes the pause shows you that you'd love to help. Either way, you answer with your calendar in front of you.
Let me check what I can take on. I'll get back to you tomorrow.
Try it right now
Practice the pause
Pick a request, give your answer a time, and see what a useful follow-up sounds like. This is the core practice from the minibook.
Step 1
Someone asks
“Can you finish the slides for Friday?”
Step 2
Give your answer a time
Let me check what I can take on. I'll get back to you tomorrow morning.
Step 3
Check what fits, then follow up
What would have to move if you said yes? When you circle back, any of these is a useful answer:
Bad Day Dissolvers
Tap a moment to see what to say.
Look inside
Tap any page to see it up close.
What’s inside
- Four short chapters you can read in one sitting
- A fill-in “Write your plan” practice sheet
- A 14-day habit tracker
- Five guided wellness journal pages
- Six Bad Day Dissolver cards to save on your phone or print
- Research notes on implementation intentions
Made to be filled in
Type straight into the tracker, journal, and practice pages on your computer, tablet, or phone, then save your copy. Prefer paper? Every practice page and card prints cleanly.
Choose your edition
Fillable workbook
$9
- Before You Say Yes as a fillable PDF
- Tracker, journal, and cards included
- Instant download
Read it or hear it
Workbook + audio
$14
- Everything in the workbook
- The minibook read aloud by Erica (MP3)
- Listen on a walk or a commute
Not sure yet? Start with the free sampler.
The opening chapter of all three minibooks, free. Read them and see which signal sounds like you.
Questions
+What exactly do I get?
An instant download of a fillable PDF workbook: the short chapters plus the practice sheet, tracker, journal pages, and cards. Choose the audio edition to also get the minibook read aloud by me, as MP3 files.
+How do I fill it in?
Open the PDF in a free PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader (computer, tablet, or phone) or Preview on a Mac. Type into the boxes, then save a copy so your entries stay. You can also print the pages and write by hand.
+How long does it take?
You can read the chapters in one sitting. The practice takes a minute or two a day for two weeks.
+Is this therapy?
No. I'm a psychology professor and researcher, and these minibooks offer education and practice tools. They aren't a substitute for care from a qualified health professional. Each book points you toward support when that would fit better.
+Are these part of Spicy Signals?
Yes. Each minibook takes one idea from my upcoming book, Spicy Signals: Decode Stress, Restore Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Calm, and turns it into a two-week practice you can start today.
