No. But seriously, saying "no" makes you a jerk. In the real world, the options are never "yes" or "no". Specifically when it comes to prioritizing work in soft

No. But seriously, saying "no" makes you a jerk. In the real world, the options are never "yes" or "no". Specifically when it comes to prioritizing work in software development, the answer is pretty much always a "when" or a "who". I get asked for far more high priority work than I can accommodate. As a manager, it's easy enough for me to go find someone who has time and redirect it to them. As an IC, you have less authority, but can still ask to pass the buck. If it's a feature request or bug report, the answer is always to put it in the backlog. Just because I can't do it now doesn't mean it should never happen. It will happen when it gets to the top of the priority list. You only a reserve a "no" for when you really mean "never" or "that's a terrible idea so please don't ask again".