I think exline's comment about todo lists is helpful - I find it psychologically satisfying to strike off the last item on a list. There's extrinsic rewards of

I think exline's comment about todo lists is helpful - I find it psychologically satisfying to strike off the last item on a list. There's extrinsic rewards of the finish, like getting paid, having something to show on your portfolio (depends on the work, obviously), not getting fired, etc. I quite like getting things I don't enjoy finished because then they're gone, the mental energy devoted to them can be reallocated.