For me, the side effects of the medication are intolerable. I wish there was a way to get that starting impulse without stimulants or SNRIs which kill my libido
If it helps, another trick I used to use was external help. As in, calling a colleague and starting in pair programming or simply discussing or whatever. Having eyes on me had the same effect as the looming deadline without the stress.
You have to learn to be super trigger happy with it, otherwise you fall in the trap of 'I've been inactive for too long, I can't call and reveal that I haven't started'.
A phrase I've heard is to "put it into existence."
By sharing the idea with somebody else, even just communicating your intention, it becomes partially reified, better-anchored to things outside yourself.
You have to learn to be super trigger happy with it, otherwise you fall in the trap of 'I've been inactive for too long, I can't call and reveal that I haven't started'.