In human computer interaction they often talk about the "gulf of execution" - when the desired end state is known but it's unclear how to get there. https://en

In human computer interaction they often talk about the "gulf of execution" - when the desired end state is known but it's unclear how to get there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_execution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_execution I've found that using checklists helps tremendously when working on medium to large projects (things that take more than a weekend to complete). For example, if I want to learn a new technology, maybe I'll get a book on python, add the list of chapters in my projects tracking document, and strike them off one by one. That sense of steady progress helps tremendously.