Sometimes I'm kicking myself that I should really start work on this now, and it doesn't work, and I get more and more anxious.

Upon reflection (sometimes I get to that point sooner, sometimes later) the problem is usually that the task is too vaguely defined to start working on it.

Very apropos for me as I went to the doctor yesterday for increased anxiety about getting stuff done.

I was promoted to a team lead position in Autumn of 2019. Things went well, if hectic and stressful, for the first couple of months. But the slower period in December really did a number on my motivation and focus, and my anxiety kicked in big time.

Now I have a huge problem doing actual work, and so often get distracted into spending hours on technical, interesting tasks that aren't work related. It doesn't help that I have a million different interesting projects that I'd like to mess around with.

And the work to-do list gets longer, and longer. And my anxiety gets worse and worse.

I hope you find a solution to your issues. Good luck!

Yes! Exactly! I had a issue that I wasn't sure how to start, and didn't understand too well, and it was killing my productivity.

I ended up just doing something, anything, even if it's wrong. Then I could correct it and do it properly. But sitting there fretting about it being hard and vague wasn't making any progress

I’ve dealt with this as well, particularly with programming. At least with programming, what I usually wind up doing is raising an issue on Github about the feature I’m trying to implement or the bug I’m trying to solve. It helps me actually start working, keep track of my thoughts, and define the problem well enough that I can ultimately begin working on it.

With other things, usually it’s best to run to google, or send an email to your boss or professor, or just pull out a notepad and start jotting things down. Sometimes it also helps to take a quick break - exercise, take a shower, etc - and then come back.

Although the irony is that I’m typing this comment out as a form of procrastination when I should be pulling out my laptop to do some remote work...

Totally. And I find it already helps tremendously to think and come up with the first/next action to start working. Sometimes, I need the first two, but any more again ends up in procrastination land. Unless the entire plan just crystallizes like that, in which case it was probably something else holding me back.

Anxiety is an emotion that you feel when you expect something bad to happen in the future.

Anxiety can be measured, your body segregates hormones in order to change the state of your entire body in order to prepare for this danger.

Unfortunately danger for primitive humans are different than current society dangers. It usually prepares you either for a fight or a flight (running away as fast as possible).

If you get too anxious for example fighting for your life or your children, you can break your bones and don't feel pain.

But this natural response is of no help if you feel that you will lose your job, or break your relationship...

In fact some work can't be done at all under these hormones influence, like intellectual work. Your body prepares you for action, not for reflexion.

On my last contract, working with very competent people, I got struck with one of the biggest procrastination wave I ever experienced. Thanks to a bit of introspection and awesome support from the team, I Realized this was just anxiety due to the imposter syndrome.

Realizing that really helped.

There's a name for that phenomenon, the Wall of Awful:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Uo08uS904Rg

Absolutely loved this (and the second part)

I've faced that issue. Not totally solved it. I found some help in a YouTube channel on ADHD in a couple of videos from "How to ADHD" titled "wall of awful." That gave some good ideas to make it past that point and start.