Women are judged harshly when we say “no” to requests in the workplace. Here’s a guide on how to do it. I frequently get requests to have my “brain picked,” or help someone with their writing, editing or speaking. For free. At first, I thought that perhaps people perceived my self-employed status to mean I had lots of free time. But then I flashed back to my in-office days and realized that I was often asked to help out in ways that weren’t directly related to my job.