不要將小問題變成大麻煩
That one thing you didn’t put away.
那件事你沒有處理好。
That one task you left half-done.
那個任務你也只完成一半。
That one bill you didn’t pay.
那個賬單你也沒付。
All of those are small problems at first.
最初這些都只是一些小事。
However, they can quickly become big ones if left unchecked.
但是如果你放任不管，這些事很快就會變成大問題。
Big Problems Start Small
大問題都是從小問題發展來的
Very few big problems start as big problems.
鮮少有問題一開始就是難題
In fact, most problems start small.
事實上，大部分的難題都是從小問題開始的
But, when you neglect them or let them sit, they become big ones.
但是，一旦你忽略了它們或放任不管，它們就會變成大問題。
Most big problems started as small, easily addressed items.
大多數的問題一開始都只是小問題，很容易處理。
By not addressing them, you allowed them to grow into big issues.
但不去解決，就是任其發展爲大問題。
In many cases, you are creating self-inflicted time management problems when you let these little things grow into bigger issues.
在大部分情況下，小問題演變爲大問題都是由你自己的時間管理引起的。Here are several Small Problems That Can Quickly Become Big Ones:
下面列出了幾種在短時間內小問題會演變爲大問題的情況：
Cleaning Up
–清理
That one thing that you sat on your desk. Add that to the afternoon you left without cleaning up. And the papers you didn’t put away. Soon, you are swimming in piles of stuff that needs to be cleaned up.
一件你在桌旁就能幹的事情。下午你留下了一桌子的東西沒收，廢紙也沒有扔掉。很快的，你在游泳的時候一大堆的東西都在等着你去清理。
Paying Bills
–付賬
You let that one bill sit. You forgot about it and now it is overdue. Maybe you now have to pay a late fee, too. Ultimately, it can affect your credit rating and cause even bigger problems down the road.
你把賬單留在那裏沒付。之前你忘了，但是現在就已經過期了。也許你現在還得支付滯期費。最終會影響到你信用卡的費率，甚至引發更嚴重的問題。
Organization - You didn’t file that important paper. Now you are trying to complete something urgent and you cannot find it. Now your problem is compounded. You madly tear through your stuff looking for that one missing item.
條理 你並沒有把那些很重要的文件分類。現在你正忙着做些很緊急的事情，但是你卻找不到了。所以現在你的問題就更多了。爲了找到你丟失的東西，你瘋狂地撕扯些別的東西。
–郵件
You let your email pile up. Or perhaps you are using your inbox as your todo list. Now, you suddenly find yourself with hundreds (or thousands) of emails in your inbox. Important items get missed or overlooked. Soon, your email is a mess of unanswered and un-replied to messages.
你把郵件堆疊起來。或者你把你的郵件就按接收到的順序排列。但是，現在你才發現在你的郵箱裏有成百上千封的郵件，而那些重要的郵件卻丟失了。很快的，你的郵箱就會變得一團糟，並且你還不能回覆信息。
Relationships
–人際關係
Small relationship problems become big ones when not addressed. Grudges grow, misunderstandings become mis-truths. And soon, what could have been addressed with a friendly conversation has turned into an adversarial situation.
在人際關係上小問題不處理，就會變爲大問題。怨恨會增長，誤解也會演變爲錯誤的事實。經過解決本可以變成一段友好的關係也會發展成一種很敵對的局面。
Deadlines
–截止日期
Small projects are easy until you run them up against a deadline. Suddenly a small task has become a crisis at the eleventh hour. You may find yourself without the materials or information that you need to complete it.
在截止日期前完成一些小項目是很容易的。但是小任務拖到最後就會變得很危險。很可能你沒法找到你需要的材料或是信息去做完它。
Don’t Let Small Problems Get Big
不要讓小問題變成大麻煩
What small problems are you facing?
那些小問題是你需要去面對的？
Get to them before they grow into larger ones.
在變得更糟之前去做好它。
You can save yourself much time and stress by addressing them early.
早早地處理好這些問題會節約很多時間，也會減少你的壓力。
Most problems start small… let’s keep them that way.
大部分的問題都是從小事開始的，不要讓小問題變成大問題。
