3. 'What-haven't-I-done-itis'. When I worked for advertising agencies, every Christmas was blighted by worries of what I may have forgotten, what I may have rushed and done wrong, what other people may have messed up and so on. It was only in my last couple of years that I cracked problem. I made lists. Big lists. I wrote down everything that needed to be thought about from December 1st onwards. If I had a newspaper campaign running I would call every paper to double check ad positions. And I would write down answers. I became obsessive about detail. And it worked. On Christmas Eve I would make two copies of all my notes, leave one on my desk and take other home, locked in my briefcase. Then, when demon thought sprang up during Christmas lunch that I had forgotten something vital, I knew I had it covered - and had evidence to prove it to myself.

Funnily enough, just knowing that it was there made me forget about it completely and enjoy my holiday.

The moral of story is - don't plan for Christmas Eve, plan for days you will be home worrying.

4. Photocopiers and backsides. It might sound like fun, especially after a few beers. Don't go there. That glass can splinter! And even if it doesn't, do you really want evidence of a drunken moment to haunt your career for years? There is always someone who has had a few less drinks than you who thinks it's amusing to hang on to evidence.

Have a laugh, but try not to lose all your inhibitions. A broken photocopier could be least of your worries!

'Call a truce, then, to our labours let us feast with friends and neighbours, And be merry as custom of our caste; For if "faint and forced laughter," and if sadness follow after, We are richer by one mocking Christmas past.'

> Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), author, poet. Christmas in India.

Christmas is a lovely time if worries about work don't poison it for you. Try to plan ahead and have yourself a very merry Christmas this year.

There are two kinds of decisions.

The first kind are those that cannot be reversed. You have to take longer over these, but there is still no value in putting off inevitable. In these kinds of decisions, a maybe is same as a no. You will have decided by default. If it all goes wrong then, you will be at fault twice - once for not deciding at all and once for allowing wrong outcome to happen.

The other kind of decisions account for vast majority: those that can be changed, modified or adapted after they have been made. There is never any good reason to put off actively making these decisions.

Go with your gut instinct. 90% of time it will be right. Even in times it isn't, you can reverse it pretty quickly. Don't be frightened of losing a little face. In business, someone who has guts to make a decision, and then, in light of new facts, courage to decide to reverse it, is someone destined for top.

Don't think too far in future.

Some situations try to force you to decide based on outcome in long term. This is rarely sound. Of course, long-term objective is valid, but if it bankrupts you or company in short-term, that decision is flawed.

When to avoid making a decision.

After all I have said about power of positive decision making, it might seem odd to condone opposite. However, it is just as valid to decide not to do something as to decide to do it. The important thing is to decide.

Some questions are unanswerable and sometimes you simply don't have enough facts to make an informed decision. In these cases, your active decision is to wait, gather more facts, or seek advice. 'Do nothing' is not an option.

I leave final words to two successful businessmen from opposite sides of Atlantic:

'If I had to sum up in one word what makes a good manager, I'd say decisiveness. You can use fanciest computers to gather numbers, but in end you have to set a timetable and act.' Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler chief.

'A lot of companies I deal with seem incapable of making a decision. It doesn't matter if decision you make is right or wrong. What matters is that you make it and don't waste your company's time. If you make decision, you begin to distinguish good from bad.' Peter Kindersley, UK publisher.