[tohdv1987]

I feel the same way your SO does all the time. There's a mountain of work to be done in front of me and it's demoralizing to even contemplate the amount of effort it will take to get to the top.

Something stupidly simple that has helped me a lot is to make a list of the individual to-do's. I like to have a master list for the project I'm working on, and a daily one I make in the morning, with each point small enough that I can accomplish one in a matter of minutes or hours.

The act of crossing a single item off - and then over time looking at the list and seeing a whole bunch of items crossed off - is amazingly effective for me. I am able to focus on the next 10 feet rather than fainting at the thought of a 10 mile uphill climb. I can hardly believe something so simple has gotten such results on such a critical and daily issue. But it has.

Maybe this could help your SO? I don't think it's a stretch to say making lists has changed my life.