If you are reading this article, Joseph Ferrari hopes it is not merely a diversion from fulfilling that annual obligation to the federal government.
But as he knows better than most, it might well be so.
The DePaul University psychology professor has made a career of studying procrastination. And in honor of income tax day, April 15 (this Thursday - yikes!), the American Psychological Association designated Ferrari to get out the message about the dangers of delay.
In study after study, Ferrari and his colleagues have found that one person in five is what he calls a chronic procrastinator.
This is not just leaving the dishes in the sink or waiting until the weekend to cut the grass. This is someone who puts off responsibilities all the time.
"This is a maladaptive lifestyle," Ferrari says.
Over the years, he has found that white-collar workers are more likely to procrastinate than blue-collar, and that among the white-collar folks, it tends to be those in a corporate setting rather than doctors or lawyers. Salespeople are more prone to putting things off than their managers, he adds.
Chronic procrastinators tend to have lower self-esteem and are very concerned with how others view them, he says. They're also great excuse-givers, making such claims as "I work better under pressure" - which generally turns out not to be true.
For such folks, self-help books on better time management are not the answer, Ferrari says. They need cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches them to counter their negative thoughts and view themselves differently, the psychologist says.
Keeping the post office open late on Thursday does them no favors, he says. But just in case, you have until midnight at the postal service's Southeastern Processing and Distribution Center, on West Valley Road in Tredyffrin Township.
Ferrari, darn him, mailed his return two weeks ago.
- Tom Avril