Are you playing the waiting game online? Are you waiting for an important e-mail? Could it be that you're waiting for your website to get a better search engine ranking, or are you waiting for sales? Do you feel like your day, week or month is going by and all you're doing is waiting for results? If it seems that way, then it probably is.

In this article I'll be discussing why doing business online can be a waiting game, and how you can turn waiting to your advantage.

There are two reasons for the waiting game: circumstances and people.

With circumstances, we are talking about issues such as waiting for your website to gain search engine rankings and popularity, which in turn brings in targeted traffic and should result in revenue for you. It's like planting a seed. If you water the seed twice as much, that doesn't mean it will grow faster. In fact, too much water will do more harm than good. That's the way it works with search engines. Promote aggressively and it can do more harm than good.

With people, sometimes you have a deadline and people just don't stick to it. Or you may be getting a quote and it seems to take forever. Other times you're just waiting for an opinion. Whatever the case, sometimes people are slow. We are using technology that is the fastest it's ever been, but that won't speed things up if people are slow. You can do your best to speed things up by kindly asking, e.g., "I'm just checking in to see how it's going," or, "If you could give me a target date, then I can plan my time more effectively." Other than that, if you're too aggressive you may end up with poor results.

In either case, there is always something you can do to speed things up to a CERTAIN point, but many times you can avoid playing the waiting game, so here's what you do when you find yourself waiting.

DON'T Wait!

I know. It sounds simple, doesn't it? What I mean is, don't spend your time waiting for things. Do what you can to speed things up then move on. Do something meaningful. Here are just a few Ideas:

* Organize your office.

* Organize your desk.

* Plan to improve your business.

* Contact clients just to see how they are doing.

* Create a sale.

* Catch up on your reading.

* Take a course.

* Make a list of improvements you are going to make in the next 12 months.

* Take break.

* Go to lunch with your spouse, friend, or child.

* Watch a movie.

* Take a two day vacation.

I'm sure you can add to the list. The point is, don't waste your time checking your e-mail, voice mail, or your search engine rankings. Do something that will get your mind off the issue. Do something meaningful. Once you get into the habit of NOT waiting, you'll find that your stress level lowers and you are a happier person who is taking control rather than being controlled by the waiting game.