Procrastination. Who doesn't feel at least somewhat guilty about it?

We all procrastinate on occasion, particularly when we dislike or feel overwhelmed by a task at hand. But there are procrastinators who habitually immerse themselves in busy work to avoid tasks that must be done.

The penalties paid for procrastination can be as mild as paying extra interest on a charge account or as harsh as getting fired or missing a career opportunity by sending in an application late. The psychological price we pay ranges from minor self-guilt and irritation to intense anxiety and self-disgust. Habitual procrastination, however, keeps some people from working to their potential.

Why People Procrastinate

If your to-do list continues to grow longer rather than shrink, the first step is to identify the types of projects or situations that suck you into the swamp of inaction. If you can't pinpoint an exact cause, or if you find procrastination difficult to eradicate, psychological issues may be involved.

Most often, procrastination represents a form of fear. It's a symptom of anticipating critical judgment or a perceived threat. The most prevalent is fear of failure.

• Fear of Failure

Failure-fearers usually avoid important projects and busy themselves with routine, familiar tasks. When something important is at stake, they have trouble concentrating, voice all kinds of excuses or complain about obstacles that stand in the way. They tend to overestimate the difficulties involved and underestimate their own abilities to resolve them. As a result they vacillate, delay or give only half-hearted effort.

• Perfectionism

Many perfectionists also put off tasks because they fear failure. In contrast to failure-fearers, however, they set exceedingly high standards and overambitious goals. Aiming too low would be tantamount to being judged just average or mediocre.

Another aspect of perfectionism is the misplaced attempt to do everything perfectly, regardless of its importance. They treat even trivial matters so thoroughly that they miss important deadlines. Perfectionists can't set priorities or determine which tasks require minimum or maximum effort.

A typical perfectionist case is that of a staff analyst assigned to prepare a brief review of U.S.-French trade problems. He produced an exhaustive, meticulously researched 50-page study. Instead of being commended he was reprimanded by his boss for not spending more time on higher priority projects.

If you have a tendency to put disproportionate effort into tasks, ask yourself these questions:

1. Do the means really suit the ends?

2. Do the results on this project warrant the time and effort put into it?

3. Are there easier, less rigorous ways to accomplish it?

4. What could be the consequences, both positive and negative, of using a less exacting approach?

• Fear of Success

While people who have a marked fear of failure prefer to retreat by endless procrastination, success-fearers welcome challenging assignments. But as soon as they've made any significant progress, they feel compelled to check themselves and cast about for ways of postponing additional work. Many of them are quite cunning and elaborate in the excuses they employ.

Remedies

Understanding why you procrastinate is helpful, but that alone isn't enough to overcome the problem. You must have a strong desire to rescue yourself and be willing to get tough if need be.

The following methods have been helpful for curing procrastination. Choose those techniques that seem to work best for you. Be diligent in applying them. The point isn't only to be aware of alternative methods, but to find more efficient ways of handling the projects that get put off until the next day. Chances are that applying just a few of these practical suggestions will release your energies for action.

Delay gratification. M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist and author of "The Road Less Traveled" (Buccanear Books, 1995) recommends delaying gratification by experiencing the pain first and getting it over with. He feels that it is "the only decent way to live."

He reached this conclusion after working for several months with a 30-year-old financial analyst who was locked into a cycle of procrastination on her job.

Dr. Peck and his client analyzed her attitudes toward her parents, job, boss, her own ability and her possible fear of success. To no avail.

Finally, Dr. Peck asked her, "Do you like cake?" She replied that she did.

"What part of the cake do you like better, the cake or the frosting?"

"Oh, the frosting!"

"And how do you eat a piece of cake?"

"I eat the frosting first, of course."

Having gained this insight, Dr. Peck started probing her work habits. Invariably she would devote the first hour or so of each day to the most gratifying and easiest of her tasks and the remaining six hours getting around -- but never quite accomplishing -- the more onerous tasks.

Dr. Peck suggested she force herself to do the objectionable tasks during the first two hours, then enjoy the remaining time. She acted on his advice and no longer procrastinates.

Identify action steps. Sometimes it's difficult to know how to start a complex project. Successful execution begins with a series of specific actions: doing research, collecting information, writing letters or memos, calling or seeing people, assigning responsibilities, holding meetings, reading reports, etc.

As a first step, list as many specific tasks as you can. Next, organize the tasks and establish an action sequence. Third, set deadlines for tasks and draw up a master list -- a continuous, single listing of everything that must be done. The tasks are then transferred each day to your daily list of things to do.

Breaking the project into feasible units and taking it in small doses lessens the drudgery. Some people allow as many sessions as it takes to complete the job, but they limit each to just one hour.

Sitting down to a well-defined work interval helps. You know that there's an end in sight. Open-ended sessions, on the other hand, usually magnify the scope of the project and induce a mood of discouragement.

Make an arbitrary move. If you're unable to establish a satisfactory starting point, make an arbitrary opening move. For example, if you can't decide whether to break a report into several parts, proceed as if the report won't be divided and make a beginning. You soon will discover if your approach is right, and if it isn't right, you can make the necessary changes.

Build mini-completions. When there is no prospect of immediate results or benefits, it's useful to build mini-completions. Starting a project that can't be completed for weeks or months can be exceedingly difficult. Motivate yourself to make a beginning and provide the necessary gratification by establishing interim completion points.

The Swiss-cheese method. When faced with an overwhelming or complex project, most people feel they must have a big block of time available before they tackle it. Since big blocks of time are rare, they put the project off until pressure from a deadline makes them finally dive into it.

As an alternative, Alan Lakein, the author of "How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life," (New American Library, 1996) suggests turning overwhelming projects into Swiss cheese by poking holes in them.

Think of several easy instant tasks that can be done in five minutes. If, for example, the project is writing a report, instant tasks might be organizing the necessary data, making a phone call to gather more information or getting a co-worker's input.

According to Mr. Lakein, whenever you have a few minutes, do one of the instant tasks. You may find you get involved and spend more than five minutes, or that the project isn't as overwhelming as you expected. In that case, you're well on your way to completing it.

If the project still seems overwhelming, continue with the instant tasks. After several mini-task sessions, you will know about how much time the project will take. This helps you schedule enough blocks of time to complete it before the deadline.

Divide large tasks. This means choosing tasks that will fill the time available. For example, if you have a three-hour time slot, tackle one big task rather than several smaller jobs.

Sometimes the only time available is before or after work, or on weekends. One engineer produced the necessary documentation for a radically new design for a motor on alternate Sunday mornings between 6 and 8 a.m. -- his only free time. And New York Times reporter Jane Brody claims to have completed a 50-page book working from 5 to 6:30 a.m. on weekday mornings.

Delegate. When faced with a routine or unpleasant task, it sometimes is possible to assign the project -- or parts of it -- to a subordinate. There also are many outside services that can be hired to do time-consuming, routine work.

Some people swap tasks they dislike with a colleague who doesn't mind them, and do for the colleague tasks he finds objectionable. Ask yourself, "Is it more important that I do this job, or that it gets done?"

Use the penalty method. Alan Rosenberg, a lawyer and psychiatrist, advises procrastinators to use the "pestering-and-penalty method." "Play a game with yourself," he says, "make up minor penalties, such as missing a TV show, and penalize yourself if you still haven't finished the job. Or ask a colleague to remind you of a task at certain intervals, and have him pester you until you've done it."

Reward yourself. It's important that you provide your own positive reinforcement. Give yourself a treat when you've completed the job. This can be anything from a new CD to a trip to the mountains or a game of racquetball.

Some people who find it particularly difficult to break the procrastination block reward progress after 30 minutes or an hour of work. These rewards could be reading a favorite magazine or talking to a congenial colleague -- anything that you enjoy or that makes you feel good.