Is a publishing professional with more than twenty years of

WhaT aBOUT ThaT OLD STanDBY, “nO”?
Is it ever okay simply to answer “Got a minute?” with “No”?
Of course. You get to decide, remember? If you really don’t have 
a minute, “No” is the proper as well as the accurate response.
You can follow it up, as well as soften an abrupt and seemingly 
insensitive response, by buying a little time (“Can I get back to 
you in about half an hour?”) or by setting a specific time to talk. 
That way, you’ve asserted control over your schedule, which is to 
say, your life.
Note, though, that you’ve still signed a blank check; you’ve just 
postdated it. You still don’t know what the conversation is about or 
how long it will take, and you still don’t know if you really want or 
need to have the conversation at all.