Don't read this now!

If it's important to you to read this comment, then leave it until later. If you don't really care, then continue reading now.

Bizarre advice? Maybe. But I used a similar tactic when thinking about writing this piece. It was important to get it done on time, so I decided not to do it immediately. Instead, I did lots of other things that were much less important.

I tidied my office, read some old newspaper articles, cleaned my computer screen, rang a couple of friends I had been wanting to contact for a long time, and did some ironing while watching football on television.

All these things had to be done at some point — OK, I didn't have to watch football — but they weren't as crucial as meeting my deadline. So why did I do them first and put off the really important task?

I don't know the deep pyschological reasons for my behaviour and am not sure that I want to. What I do know is that I'm not alone in behaving like this. And I felt better after getting so many other tasks ticked off.

I also feel better knowing that my behaviour has a fancy name. It's called "structured procrastination". I like this: I'm not just putting things off, I'm doing so in a structured way.

Experts have now discovered what you and I have known for a long time. When we are not in the mood for doing important jobs, we can create energy and a positive sense of achievement by completing low-priority tasks. Then we can get down to the important things.

"As long as I can feel like there's something I'm avoiding, then I can get myself to work," Maryland lawyer Dana Moylan Wright told The Wall Street Journal. Know the feeling?

The concept of structured procrastination is the brainchild of John Perry, a professor of philosopy at Stanford University, who says we shouldn't be ashamed of this kind of self-manipulation. You can read more about his ideas on his website. If nothing else, this will help you to put off something more important.