When you need this
At work, people interrupt you all day, and most of them have good reasons. If you say yes to every "Got a minute?", your own work waits until everyone's gone home. If you say no too sharply, people stop coming to you. The skill is saying "not now" in a way that still sounds like "yes".
The pattern has two parts: a short reason and a new time. "I'm in the middle of something" is the reason. "Can I come find you after lunch?" is the time. You don't need to explain what you're doing, and you shouldn't apologize three times. If the answer is really no, because your week is full, say so early and clearly. A clear no on Monday is kinder than a missed deadline on Friday.
Phrases
you're busy right now, said politely
busy with something you can't leave
asks if the request can happen later
asks for a short delay
you have to finish something very soon
you'll go to them later
you have many tasks already
you can't accept more work
mark time in your calendar for focused work
concentrating hard, not available for chat
checks how fast they need you
Say it out loud
Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.
Practice · 3 min
Say the line that fits. Situation on the left, one natural line on the right.
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Say it today
Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.