The moral of the story returns to a common theme about self-deception and task delay. We often rationalize our current delay because we don't feel like working on the task by evoking (irrational) beliefs like, "I'll feel more like it tomorrow" or "I work better under pressure." Although this may be the case on rare occasions for some tasks, on the whole these thoughts are simply rationalizations to justify further delay and make us feel good in the short run.
Is there an arousal procrastinator? Much of the evidence suggests no, but certainly there are individual differences on how we manage our tasks, and we'll continue research in this area to discern who works best, when and why. Until we do understand this better, I would err on the side of caution and get started sooner than later. My answer is, as always - ignore the negative feelings of the moment (much of these are simply irrational anticipatory thoughts) - and, "just get started." ☺
References
Ferrari, J. R. (1992). Psychometric validation of two procrastination inventories for adults: Arousal and avoidance measures. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 14, 97-110
