Small asks add up. Here's the math, and the reply that stops them.

Helping someone out might only eat up a quarter of an hour. Six of them in a week comes to an hour and a half, which is six hours a month you didn't plan for, didn't get credit for, and will be asked to repeat next month. The fifteen minutes is the minor cost. The part nobody tallies is the effort it takes to get back to the work you had been doing.

"Sure, no problem" is the reflex, and it works against you for a plain reason. That answer lets the asker know the ask was free of charge for them. According to research for The No Club, women are handed non-promotable tasks roughly half again as often as men, and they also say yes more readily to them. Across one Baltimore-area professional-services firm, that imbalance added up to about 200 additional hours annually. Those hours never arrived as one request that anyone could point to. They showed up fifteen minutes at a time, the way they do across Baltimore's law firms, hospitals and agencies.

1. Could you take a brief look over this, if you have a moment?

Tempting: "Absolutely, I'll send it along."

A stronger reply: "I have room Thursday afternoon." "Which part should I focus my review on?"

Why: an open invitation to look turns into an edit, and then a rewrite. Asking what they need narrows it to the one thing that matters, and naming a day puts it on your calendar rather than on top of your work.

2. "You're so good at decks. "Would you tidy this one up for me?"

Tempting: "Always willing to pitch in."

A firmer reply: "Let me point out the three edits that will have the greatest impact." Give it ten minutes on your screen, and then make those changes yourself.

The flattery is what hooks you, and giving in signals that a compliment can secure your afternoon. A ten-minute walkthrough saves far more time than an hour spent doing the formatting, and it leaves them able to manage the job alone next time.

3. Might you be available to listen in on this call, just to be safe?

Tempting: "Fine."

A stronger reply: "Forward me the notes and mark whatever needs my attention." "If a decision lands on the table, loop me in just for that piece."

Why: "just in case" is an hour of your attention paid as insurance for someone else's nerves. You stay reachable for the moment that needs a decision, which is the only moment that truly needs you.

4. "Could you connect me with her?"

A tempting but risky reply: "Absolutely, I'll put together a summary for you."

Better: "Happy to, here's what I can offer." "Jot down two sentences about your goals with her, and I'll pass them along."

Why: the introduction is yours to give, but the groundwork belongs to the person asking. Those who have to write the two lines either send them quickly or realize they didn't need the meeting after all.

5. Your manager asks if you'll look out for the new team member.

Tempting: "Yes, I'm in."

Better: "Glad to, though I'd like to see the deadline first." "Is keeping an eye on them an official responsibility for me this quarter, so it gets recognized come review time?"

Why it matters: when a manager asks for a favor, the task either belongs to your role or it doesn't. When it does belong, it ought to be recorded and credited. If it isn't, asking makes it easy for both of you to size it and to say, "then let's keep it to the first two weeks."

The idea running through all five

An informal favor is really a job without defined boundaries, a due date, or recognition. Each of the replies above addresses at least one of those gaps. Once a request has a defined size, the requester must weigh whether it merits that size, so the judgment no longer falls on you alone.

Worth bookmarking Another quick favor is already on its way to your desk.