In Internet marketing, it is common for Web site owners to need each other's services. Some of these instances include the need for editing videos, recording audio clips, fixing an html script, designing a Web page, creating new graphics, writing fresh Web content, solving a software problem, and many more. These are just some of the hurdles that people in Internet marketing face each day.

Innocent tasks like these look easy at first glance, especially for professionals, but they can quickly transform into big, scary 900-pound monkeys that will weigh you down if you don't watch out. Dealing with these monkeys requires a mountain of work that seems impossible to scale.

Let's give a scenario. A friend of yours who is starting an Internet marketing business comes to you and asks for a tiny favor. He says he needs some help in making a graphic logo for his site and knows that you are an expert in this area.. You grant the favor, thinking that all you need to do if make a tiny logo. So you put some of your own graphic designing work on hold to quickly work on your friend's request.

After you've finished, you give the logo to your friend but he's not satisfied with it. As a favor, you do some revisions but, when you present it to a second time, he suddenly remembers that the logo must be a certain size for Internet marketing purposes. Pretty soon, your friend has talked you into doing all the graphic designing for his Web site because you did such an amazing job on the logo. You don't even know how it happened, but you are doing full time work for no pay. You have no choice but to pass the graphic designing work that you put on hold on to somebody else just so you cam help your friend. Meanwhile, your friend is sitting idly waiting for you to finish the tiny favor that he asked of you. Voila! The tiny task has become a 900-pound monkey.

Of course, this scenario is a big exaggerated, but most people involved in Internet marketing are familiar with these 900-pound monkeys. It starts out innocently enough as a way of helping someone, but gullible people may find themselves being dumped with other people's work.

The sad thing is, so many people in Internet marketing actually allow 900-pound monkeys to be put on their backs. Why do they do this? Doing small jobs for other people is a way of procrastinating. They have major projects to work on but because it the task is so daunting, they would rather work on small jobs for other people. They may not consciously know what they're doing but, in truth, they'll do anything to get out of working on that major project!

Do you have a 900-pound monkey weighing you and your Internet marketing efforts down? Next time, learn to say 'no'. It's great to help other people, but you have to set your limitations.