[sm4sp]

When I get overwhelmed and feel that tension that comes from digging in to a new project here are a some things I do.

1. Schedule clear time to work on the project - I want to be intentional with my time so there is no ambiguity on what I should be doing. ex. 9AM - 12PM work on this feature

2. Win the war before going to war - A lot of the time, procrastination stems from not being clear of what exactly needs to be done. The task is either very complex or simply not clear. Cognitive complexity is the precursor of inaction. So before I start I try to describe what exactly I'm going to do before I even open my IDE. For example, 1. Get the requirements, 2. Create a flowchart of the data, 3. Describe what I think would be the best approach.... etc

I'll even drill down to actual classes and methods I should be making. This really helps get me unstuck

3. I have 5 truths of work that I remind myself of. Here they are

1. No where does it say that work must be easy for me to do it 2. No where does it say that work must be enjoyable for me to do it 3. This work is important 4. You don't have as much time as you believe 5. Your self worth is not determined by the success/failure of this so just attack

Those are some of my personal methods but in the end, it's about experimenting and finding what works for you.

Hope this helps