There are methods to deal with the activation energy of big projects.
You can lower the activation energy by listening to good music while working, putting yourself in a good environment, and cleaning your calendar of obligations. You can conserve energy to apply to the project by doing this work first or when your energy is the highest, limiting the number of these tasks you work on at one time, removing options for distraction, or turning off communications. You can make it more uncomfortable to not make progress on the task by setting deadlines and having your boss set expectations.
I enjoy this post. I think about this Activation Energy a lot but had never put a name to it. Just getting over that initial hump and “fear of difficulty or time invested” pays huge dividends. I would add that body doubling in some cases.
Thanks Michael, I struggle with with getting started on projects but luckily I have an inner voice that tells me to get over it in an inappropriate way. It works but my inner voice can be an a-hole.