But these are oversimplifications that make us look worse than we really are. We may not have much of a choice. Perhaps the boss insists that we finish the unimportant task first. Or maybe it's only a one-time delay. Or it could be we simply forgot. Or something unforeseen cropped up that simply couldn't be ignored.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Procrastination is really the intentional and habitual postponement of some important task that should be done now. When you make a decision to do something at a specific time in the future, you are not procrastinating, you are planning. But if the postponement is habitual, i.e. you put it off until the next day, and then the next day, and then the next, and it's not merely a case of forgetting or being coerced into ignoring it, you're procrastinating. And it's still procrastination regardless of the excuses you have or the rationalizations you make for putting it off.

That's why procrastination is such an insidious time waster. It's deceitful. We make it look like we don't have time to do it, or that it makes sense to polish off the small tasks first to get them out of the way, or that we're saving time in the event that the boss changes his or her mind, or that the urgency of the unimportant tasks is forcing us to do them first. There seems to be no limit to the excuses that people come up with for putting off something that should be done now.

I've never seen figures on how much money is lost through procrastination, but it must be in the millions. Check the line-ups at the post office on the last day for tax returns, or the final day for anything for that matter. According to one author, an estimated 10 million people in the U.S. buy their Valentine's Day gift or card on February 14th. In fact how many people haven't bought their Christmas cards yet? Why not? Is it too early? Do cards self-destruct if kept more than 10 days before mailing?

A procrastinator's view of time is distorted. They feel there's plenty of time in the future. Even a two week deadline seems like plenty of time. Why there's days left yet! They don't seem to come to grips with the fact that time is finite. There's only so much time in a day, month, year or lifetime. Some people actually put off living until it's too late. Of all the consequences of procrastination, the worst of all has to be cheating ourselves of the opportunity to experience life fully.

Consequences can be either external, internal or both. External consequences include things such as a fine for overdue library books, interest charges on loans, reprimands by the boss or family member, or even the loss of a job. Internal consequences include frustration, anger at yourself, feeling pressured or guilty, becoming self-critical, or never knowing the joy of experiencing something you long for.

You can usually spot a procrastinator at work. They have cluttered desks, an overflowing in-basket, stacks of unopened magazines, papers to be filed and a "To Do" list that gets longer every day. You have to continually follow up to get anything from them. They frequently cancel appointments, reschedule meetings, and cancel out of seminars at the last minute. They're usually flustered, disorganized and under constant pressure. And generally have a poor self-image.

Why do we procrastinate? Like the definition itself, the reason for procrastination is more complicated than it looks. We're certainly not born that way. There is no such thing as a "procrastination gene." Common reasons suggested in books include perfectionism, fear of success or fear of failure. And I can see how these things could impact us. If we're perfectionists, we could be delaying until we have time to do it "right." Unfortunately we will rarely have more time in the future than we have in the present. After all, today's future is tomorrow's present. So the delay becomes chronic.

If we fear either success or failure, then certainly not doing something will avoid both.

I used to wonder how anyone could possibly be afraid of being successful until someone in that situation shared his feelings with me. It was partly the fear of what it would mean in terms of lifestyle, relationships, personal integrity, and the pressure to maintain peak performance. I can understand that if our sense of self-worth is tied to our performance, we may feel we have to use our abilities to constantly perform at our peak. If we delay performing, that does not detract from our ability, and we can maintain our self-esteem. And by not performing, we can't fail.

To solve the above problems might require the help of a psychologist or therapist, or at least a skilled counselor - not a time management expert. My suggestion would be not to equate your value with your performance. You are valuable as a person regardless of whether you succeed or fail. And to take the pressure off yourself, ask "What's the impact on my life or job if I don't do something perfectly? Or if I make a mistake? Or if I perform a certain task poorly?" Chances are the consequences would be minimal. It's not the end of the world. If we are procrastinating for these reasons we are playing mind games with ourselves and perhaps we need professional help to sort things out.

But I believe that most procrastinators simply view a certain task or activity as being either unpleasant or overwhelming. And in these cases a time management approach would stand a good chance of succeeding.