“Spilled Water Never Returns to the Cup.” Japanese proverb The title of this column may not make any sense-but procrastination in business makes no sense at all and is one of those little noticed reasons why some entrepreneurs flounder or involuntarily close up shop. In some way or another, we all shove certain tasks to the bottom of the pile until some problem emerges forcing it to the surface like a dead fish in a lake. And we welcome it with as much gusto. Some of us dislike tasks such as firing employees- so we hope for a miracle that we are spared the ordeal. Some of us are not thrilled about calling a customer for money so we hope for a check in today’s mail. And as some jobs are just boring, we find tasks that are more interesting and exciting. Our excuses, as the therapists say, are rationalizations from; I am too busy, I have things that are more important on my plate to do, or with all the pressures on my time, I forgot. Do I strike a familiar note? Before you went into business, you could squeak by putting things off to the last moment. Did you not wait until the night before the exam to “cram?” Did you not wait until Christmas vacation to write that dreaded term paper due in January? Did you not keep piling tools, toys and whatever in the garage knowing that someday- some Saturday afternoon when the temperate was perfect you would straighten out the mess? Did you not forget to pay a bill or two until the post (person) man presented you with a past due notice? Well putting off today what you can put off tomorrow may be a way of life for some of us. And it may be a tolerable way of life, but not when you own your own business. Delay can bring deficits and disaster. If you do not pay your bills on time, you lose whatever leverage you have as a customer with your suppliers. If you allow a troublesome employee to remain, you will lose the loyalty and support of your other employees. If you allow critical tasks such as collections or inventory control to be pushed aside for seemingly more important tasks, you can expect cash flow problems to present you with a long list of unpleasant tasks such as laying off your help, explaining to the bank you have problems, or asking your suppliers to be patient. And in time, such problems with roots in procrastination can present you with the ultimate problem of closing your doors. The other day I discovered another tale of small business failure. Sadly, the owner lived a life of procrastination which in my opinion led to bankruptcy. If I am describing you in any way, start the New Year determined to conquer your habit of pushing those distasteful or boring tasks aside until you get more “time.” It will take a conscious effort but so did starting you business. It means a change in the way you operate your business and live your life. Yes, you can go and see a therapist and discover the deep-rooted reasons of your behavior, however by the time, you discover why you do what you do, you will be out of business! So let me offer a few “unprofessional” practical suggestions. Create a daily “to do” list. Write them out- don’t use your computer as writing out the list by hand is slower and forces you to think about each task. Use a lined pad, keep adding to the list each day- draw a line with a date and time when you finish a task, Don’t tear off the pages turn to the next. Try this for a month- you will have tackled you procrastination problem and you will have created a journal of your activities. In time your list will shorten, you will build a reputation as a person who says they will do something and they do it, and your business will reward you with the toys you have always wanted. Copyright 2003 Dr. Paul E Adams, Professor Emeritus Business Administration Ramapo College of New Jersey Author “ Fail Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful.” Available Amazon.Com. If you have questions or comments- contact me: drfailproof@earthlink.net