Many home business people are discouraged from trying to learn new knowledge or skills that will take their businesses to a new level because of time issues. They already feel that their lives are too busy and they don’t see how it is possible to fit more commitments into their already jammed schedules. 

Other home business entrepreneurs take an overly laid-back approach to business adventure. They sign themselves up for marketing forums and affiliate programs and then don’t take those forums and programs seriously. At the end of the month or year they wonder why their business, income and lives has not improved! 

This is as a result of the problem of the “later syndrome”. (Never do today what you can put off for tomorrow. Better yet, never put off ’til tomorrow what you can avoid altogether!) The “later syndrome” is a very big hindrance to many home businesses. Does your home business also suffer from this syndrome? 

What is the “later syndrome” anyway? This is where by a home business owner puts off what he/she should have done today, for a later time. Simply put, the “later syndrome” is procrastination. Other people prefer to call it the “tomorrow syndrome”. Procrastination can manifest itself in ways as simple as taking too long to write an e-zine ad, putting off article submission or letting slide the date when you promised yourself you’d start an advertising campaign. 

The “later syndrome” in our home businesses is something we can be aware of and deal with over time. Procrastination is so lethal to your home business. You should avoid it. The future of your home business depends on you, just the same as with an athlete, an actor or anyone else who depends on peak personal performance to make a living. 

That’s why everyone who wants to be successful in their home businesses has to take steps to deal with the ” later syndrome” if and when it appears. 

How do you deal with the “later syndrome”? 

Try to ensure that you be disciplined. If you have scheduled a task to be done today, do it. Do not put it off for a later date or time. In other words, improve your time management skills. 

Just remember that success in home business is a result of simple disciplines performed every day. Such simple disciplines include sticking to your work schedule no matter what. For example, if you are supposed to write an article for submission today, write it. Do not give room to any excuses that may tempt you to write it later. 

Failure in any home business is a result of cumulative errors in judgment and decision repeated every day. Such simple errors include procrastination (Also known as the “later syndrome”. 

Another technique is to create an environment where you can fully concentrate on your work. Not all people can concentrate in a noisy and chaotic environment. So have a well designated home business office with a conducive environment favourable for concentration. 

So, if you think you need success in your home business, you should steer away from the “later syndrome”. In summary, you can fight the “later syndrome” in your home business by following these points. 

·           Make a list of what needs to get done. This can be listed in no particular order and will give you a handle on just what you need to accomplish. 

·           Prioritise these. My way of doing this is by deadlines. I arrange them in order of when they are due. You may also choose to rank them by how important it is to get them done. For example, writing an article and submitting it to article directories on time may be more important to your home business than replying to your friends email. Do that first. 

·           Get yourself a calendar with room to write notes in. I personally use a bound notebook and write in dates as I go. I make pages with dates for long-term planning and also keep a separate list that I transfer my short-term goals to. 

·           Take what’s at the top of your priority list and determine how long it will take to accomplish it. If it’s a quick task, put that down to be done the current day. If it will take a longer time, divide it into smaller tasks to be spread out over several days. Write this in your calendar with specific dates for accomplishing each. Include your deadline for completion of this task on your calendar as well. 

·           Keep filling your calendar until you have a time set aside to do each item while still meeting your deadlines. Be careful to not overbook yourself and allow plenty of time for delays. This will allow you to feel confident that you can accomplish all you need to in the time you have. Now you can relax and work on one item at a time without feeling you have to do it all at once.