Every once in a while I'm able to convince myself to do just one tiny thing. Maybe it's literally just looking at the thing I'm supposed to be working on, and from there I notice a thing that's missing so I just grab it for when I start working on it, and then I might as well prepare and organize the materials for when I start working on it, and before I know it, I'm working on it. Otherwise it just never gets done until some sort of deadline is dangerously close to being hit.

[–] blindsight@beehaw.org 3 points 6 days ago

A similar strategy works great for me, but I frame it slightly differently based on my personal anxieties:

I'm procrastinating this important task because it's overwhelming
But I can't think about anything else because I'm worried I'm going to forget to do part of the task/some important detail
To be able to relax about this, I'll just write down a list of things I need to get done/don't want to forget

Then, often, I'll realize there's a small part of the project that I am motivated to get done now so it's not looming over my head anymore. Or, if not, I've given myself a Hemingway Bridge to starting the task whenever I do have motivation.