At some point in your professional life, you will be asked to do something that makes you scowl, “Are they serious?” A 6 p.m. brainstorming session. An important client dinner on the night of your kid’s recital. A weekend retreat that promises team bonding but really means you will miss your kid’s birthday and end up sharing a bunk bed with Carl from compliance.

You want to say, “I’m not available,” but what comes out instead is an overly apologetic word salad: “I am so sorry. My kid has this thing . . . I mean, I’ll figure it out. I can join from the parking lot. Or the bathroom. I’ll mute!”

Let’s just stop right there. “Sorry I can’t. I will be attending my daughter’s play” is not a weak excuse. It’s a sentence. It’s a boundary. It’s a full stop on the guilt spiral and research backs i

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