I could have written that! Almost like you read my mind... and yes, I have been fooling myself for years to get what really needs to be done on my list actually done. I have also found the self-rewarding system to be effective also.

If you haven't tried what I call the "15 minute rule", it is worth a try. When you have a task that is undesirable, or one that has been put off so long that it appears to be insurmountable, work at it for 15 minutes a day. No longer, no less. Pretty soon that chore will become habit, and you won't need the whole 15 minutes.

I had over 200 beads that needed cleaned. This was how I got them clean, and now I rarely fall behind and rarely have more than 15 minutes worth of bead cleaning.

Hope I could help!