That one thing you didn’t put away.

那件事你没有处理好。

That one task you left half-done.

那个任务你也只完成一半。

That one bill you didn’t pay.

那个账单你也没付。

All of those are small problems at first.

最初这些都只是一些小事。

However, they can quickly become big ones if left unchecked.

但是如果你放任不管，这些事很快就会变成大问题。

Big Problems Start Small

大问题都是从小问题发展来的

Very few big problems start as big problems.

鲜少有问题一开始就是难题

In fact, most problems start small.

事实上，大部分的难题都是从小问题开始的

But, when you neglect them or let them sit, they become big ones.

但是，一旦你忽略了它们或放任不管，它们就会变成大问题。

Most big problems started as small, easily addressed items.

大多数的问题一开始都只是小问题，很容易处理。

By not addressing them, you allowed them to grow into big issues.

但不去解决，就是任其发展为大问题。

In many cases, you are creating self-inflicted time management problems when you let these little things grow into bigger issues.

在大部分情况下，小问题演变为大问题都是由你自己的时间管理引起的。

Here are several Small Problems That Can Quickly Become Big Ones:

下面列出了几种在短时间内小问题会演变为大问题的情况：

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.

一件你在桌旁就能干的事情。下午你留下了一桌子的东西没收，废纸也没有扔掉。很快的，你在游泳的时候一大堆的东西都在等着你去清理。

Paying Bills

–付账

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.

你把账单留在那里没付。之前你忘了，但是现在就已经过期了。也许你现在还得支付滞期费。最终会影响到你信用卡的费率，甚至引发更严重的问题。

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.

条理 你并没有把那些很重要的文件分类。现在你正忙着做些很紧急的事情，但是你却找不到了。所以现在你的问题就更多了。为了找到你丢失的东西，你疯狂地撕扯些别的东西。

Email

–邮件

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.

你把邮件堆叠起来。或者你把你的邮件就按接收到的顺序排列。但是，现在你才发现在你的邮箱里有成百上千封的邮件，而那些重要的邮件却丢失了。很快的，你的邮箱就会变得一团糟，并且你还不能回复信息。

Relationships

–人际关系

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.

在人际关系上小问题不处理，就会变为大问题。怨恨会增长，误解也会演变为错误的事实。经过解决本可以变成一段友好的关系也会发展成一种很敌对的局面。

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项目是很容易的。但是小任务拖到最后就会变得很危险。很可能你没法找到你需要的材料或是信息去做完它。

Don’t Let Small Problems Get Big

不要让小问题变成大麻烦

What small problems are you facing?

那些小问题是你需要去面对的？

Get to them before they grow into larger ones.

在变得更糟之前去做好它。

You can save yourself much time and stress by addressing them early.

早早地处理好这些问题会节约很多时间，也会减少你的压力。

Most problems start small… let’s keep them that way.

大部分的问题都是从小事开始的，不要让小问题变成大问题。