I definitely have this problem, hence my pondering and interest in the backlog minding question. I need some way to make the odious tasks stop sitting forever.
The truly horrifying example for me is one task that’s been on my plate for literally 3 years. It will take maybe four hours over a couple of days. It costs nothing to put off, except that if it isn’t squared away before it’s too late, I will lose six figures. That deadline is Poisson, not fixed, and it could be days or decades. When I really put that into focus, I am terrified and kind of shocked at my lack of discipline, but not motivated. (God I hope outing it here helps me get it done.)