I typically say “yes” to things that felt like a 7 out of 10. A decent invite. A somewhat promising idea. A side project that might go somewhere. I’d even consider a job offer. Saying yes often felt easier.

Part of it, I think, comes from personality. Sometimes we say yes to please others or avoid the guilt of saying no. Agreeableness and neuroticism at work. Other times, we say yes believing it’s our best bet, even if everything around us screams otherwise. I guess that’s impostor syndrome.

The 90% rule I read about in Essentialism sounded a bit strict at first: If something isn’t a 90 out of 100, treat it like a zero. No “pretty good.” No “maybe.”

But the more I paid attention to my choices, the more I understood the point. So many things I’ve been attending to feel like noise. Things that wouldn’t eventually make any meaningful difference in my life. Some don’t even align with my long-term goals have I thought about it for a minute.

Saying yes too often doesn’t just deplete time, it consumes mental bandwidth. Every commitment you make, even the small ones, takes up space in your head. The more you hold, the harder to think clearly, prioritize, or even rest. Eventually, your brain gets so occupied handling the noise, leaving little time and energy to manage the stuff that actually matters.

Accepting 6s and 7s sacrifices the +9s. Say you’re offered a job that’s “decent.” Not bad enough to decline, but not exciting either. Maybe 7/10. If you accept, you won’t look further, at least for a while. That implies losing opportunities for 9+ roles out there that you actually deserve. You give up too soon. You probably didn’t wait long enough.

Time is scarce. So is energy. A few minutes saved here, a few minutes saved there, and you may eventually end up with enough time for something worthwhile. Something that would make a real difference in your life.

Dropping mediocre opportunities frees up time for the right ones. If you approach decisions through the lens of opportunity cost, you’d be surprised by how many stupid decisions we make all the time.