Procrastination. The dictionary says this is the act of intentionally or habitually deferring or delaying action. Everyone is guilty of it to some degree unless they have trained themselves to be very disciplined. It's easy to have the mindset of "I'll do it tomorrow, next week, next month, etc." This can be anything from daily chores around the house to catching up on paperwork at the office, or anything else we just want to put off doing.

I recently decided to tackle my "To Do" list of things I normally try to do the beginning of every year. This included such things as working on photo albums, putting away newspaper clippings from our local newspapers, cleaning out the filing cabinet, and working on my four boys' scrapbooks and keepsake boxes. This year, when I decided I had procrastinated long enough, I couldn't believe my discovery. It had been two years since I had done my yearly "To Do" ritual instead of one! Where had the time gone? What was my excuse? Then I thought back to a year ago. Oh yes, right after the first of the year we had a 50th anniversary celebration for my parents. In the following two months we were busy preparing for mine and my husband's 25th anniversary celebration. That was soon followed by the birth of our first granddaughter. I guess I just got caught up in the excitement of my life that I totally forgot about that "To Do" list last year. Now I am really paying for it to try and get everything caught up. It seemed like such a big job to tackle once I started through that list, but I am self-disciplined enough to make myself do it even when my rebellious inner thoughts keep screaming, "But I don't want to!"

This whole procrastination scene can be related to what people go through in starting an online business and doing the things they need to do to keep it going. It's way too easy to just put things off rather than just setting down and doing it. If a person doesn't just keep plugging away, time passes and pretty soon you realize your business has stagnated rather than grown. Make it a habit to do something for the good of your business on a daily basis. If you take a day off, at least reaffirm to yourself that day why you are doing the business. This will keep you focused and ready to get back at it the next day.

Procrastination……such a horrible little stumbling block in our lives. Don't let it win over your determination to stay on track.