As I said in my last post, procrastination isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem. It can result from many factors, but laziness usually isn’t one of them.

In fact, many highly conscientious, driven, guilt-ridden, achievement-oriented people are procrastinators. They may spend countless hours plodding away on a project or building up to it without actually getting started. They’re not averse to hard work.

They’re perfectionists.

If you set unrelenting, high standards for yourself and never feel satisfied with your accomplishments, you may be what I call a “problem perfectionist.” You might think the label doesn’t apply to you because your extreme efforts don’t achieve the results you want so badly. You may even think of yourself as an underachiever.

But perfectionism isn’t about actually attaining perfection. It has much more to do with how you behave in your quest towards your goals than in the product of your efforts.

Problem perfectionists often take extreme measures to avoid failure, risk, and uncertainty about their performance. And that’s where procrastination plays a role.

Putting off starting a difficult project and waiting until the time feels “right” to undertake a big task are two common ways problem perfectionists manage their anxiety about performance. Unfortunately, these tactics usually backfire, leading to paralyzing stress when deadlines approach.

You’d think problem perfectionists would learn that putting off challenging tasks hinders their performance. After all, when you’re anxious and short on time, you can’t possibly do your best. But problem perfectionists become chronic procrastinators due to a phenomenon called “self-handicapping.” Procrastination helps them rationalize a mediocre work product (“I would have done better if I’d had more time.”) and save face with themselves and others.

If this sounds like you, consider trying a different tactic the next time you find yourself putting off a project. First, decide if the task warrants an A+ effort (and be honest with yourself in assessing its degree of importance). If you think an 85% would suffice, set that as your goal before you even start instead of sabotaging yourself by procrastinating. In the end,you’ll end up with the same result—possibly a better one, even—minus the emotional costs.