Asking for what you want at work is a crucial skill for career growth. But it’s just as important to express what you don’t want.

While “no” is a loaded word, it protects your time, energy and focus. Most people sense they need to say it more often, but tense up at the thought of delivering it. Typically, they realize they should have said no only after they failed to do so.

In our jumpy work world filled with hallucinated urgency, we often respond with what I call a “flash response” — an immediate answer to a yes or no request, and is fueled by reflex, impulse and distraction.

That’s because most of us don’t have a framework to support us in our choice. Read this step-by-step guide for consciously deciding when to say no.