I shouldn’t admit this, but last night (April 16, 2006), reviewing the past week and planning the next, I realized that I 
had not done my taxes. That’s bad, but made worse because I work in an accounting office and have seen nothing but tax returns for two months. I had the forms but kept putting it off.
Kate Lorenz, a favorite online writers, asks this about procrastination:
“What's the best way to put an end to procrastination? Behavioral psychologists say that figuring out why you're procrastinating is the first step to overcoming it. Are you a perfectionist who dreads doing anything unless you can do it flawlessly? Are you a dreamer who has big ideas, but hates doing the details? Or do you simply dread the task at hand and go out of your way to avoid it?”
She doesn’t ask “are you just a lazy bum,” but sometimes I feel that way. At least there is hope.
“No matter why you're putting things off,” says Lorenz, “recognize that procrastination stems from habit - and the best way to break a habit is to replace it with a new behavior. Next time you feel stuck, ask yourself, "Is there anything, no matter how small, that I can get started on?" If you can do just that, you will break the cycle of procrastination and stay on track.”
