There are occasions at work when we feel overwhelmed and overloaded. We may be trying to meet an important deadline or we have urgent work that must be completed. More work from a client, peer or manager may be too much for us to handle. However, we don't want to say, "no" to a request. We want to be cooperative and be seen as a team player. Follow these tips to politely say, "no": Ask the person for flexibility on the deadline for the task. Ask the person to prioritize the task compared to the other work that must be completed. Explain what other work you must complete before you can begin working on the new request. Offer to assist with part of the task.