Yes and no are often thought of as being two sides of the same coin.

But in reality, the difference between these two is enormous. Let me explain.

Yes is saying no to everything else; whereas no is saying yes to anything else.

If you say yes to a 15-minute call at 2:00pm, you devote that 15 minutes to that call and nothing else. You’re not eating, brushing your teeth, or moving your attention. Nothing else goes into that scheduled time. When you say yes, you say no to everything else.

More still, this 15-minute block affects more than the scheduled time. You know what it feels like: one appointment causes the day to shift and swing towards this event’s centre of gravity. 12:00 isn’t 12:00, but 2-hours-until-that-appointment o’clock. The day which was once free for anything, now rotates around this 15-minute call.

On the other hand, no is one of the most liberating things out there. When you say no to an offer, you free up that time to do anything you want. You could read a book, take a nap, call a loved one or watch a movie. The possibilities for that 15 minute block are endless. When you say no, you say yes to anything else.

This isn’t to start a war against scheduling time and saying yes. Having a weekly timetable and embracing new challenges are two practices that I firmly stand by.

But for the ones who value freedom and autonomy, the reminder here is to be careful of what we say yes to. Often, the hidden dangers of a “yes” far outweigh the FOMO of saying “no”.