I found that setting a goal to work on something for 30 minutes and no more than that was almost a magic trick.

Example: my apartment was a disaster zone. I didn't clean it, so it got worse, which made it even more overwhelming, which meant I was even less likely to clean it. Two years later, it was horrible.

So I said to myself: "all I'm going to do is 30 minutes. Just do ANYTHING. If all I get done is vacuuming one section of the carpet, and making the bed, it's a success." Before I knew it, my apartment was clean and I was often going well beyond 30 minutes because the motivation was there.

This applies to many things in my life. Working out, cleaning, meditating, whatever.

Also: quit smoking pot.