I have this problem now and then. I've begun to treat it as a sign from my subconscious that my code has become ugly and some housekeeping/re-factoring is in o

I have this problem now and then. I've begun to treat it as a sign from my subconscious that my code has become ugly and some housekeeping/re-factoring is in order. Sometimes I can push through (e.g. due to a deadline) by picking at individual tiny features and working my way through the spaghetti until they work. I generally start by adding something visible to the UI and keep at it until it works. This has the advantage that I'm almost guaranteed to make visual, visible progress, which helps with motivation. But often, the only choice is to take a step back, accept that I'll be making "no progress" for a couple of weeks and go clean up my mess and re-factor the code. :-)