This sort of monetary risk incentive has been very useful for me. There's software to do this. Have you tried Beeminder? I've used it to force myself to build p

This sort of monetary risk incentive has been very useful for me. There's software to do this. Have you tried Beeminder? I've used it to force myself to build positive habits, including daily exercise and side-project progress. There have been more than a few moments where I've awakened after 11pm realizing that I'd be charged $5 if I neglected to do push-ups during the next hour. In anger, I invariably got up and did them, but now I do them without hesitation each day. Pledge some money on Beeminder, and make yourself do a certain number of focused hours of work each week on your project. Even small financial risks are surprisingly motivational: "No way I'm letting Beeminder take my $5."