this is true of major tasks, too. i did the same thing with research when i was working on my masters. i called them paralytic tasks and literally pictured them like looming, shadowy mantises.
@ardgedee of course!
@BennyTheIcepick naming things helps somehow, and trying "eat that frog" methods never worked. every time, i had to go through all the dumb little tasks and finish them first, in an act of self-soothing, to build my confidence enough to finally take a deep breath and do the huge thing i absolutely had to do to keep my job.
Paralytic tasks define my entire career. Thank you for giving a name for my internal demons.
@BennyTheIcepick naming things helps somehow, and trying "eat that frog" methods never worked. every time, i had to go through all the dumb little tasks and finish them first, in an act of self-soothing, to build my confidence enough to finally take a deep breath and do the huge thing i absolutely had to do to keep my job.