I enjoy job simulator type games and really like the aspect of decorating and taking something and improving it. I’m a sucker for visual progress and I’m comfortable with physical labor in real life, so why can I only do it in games and structured activities?
Does it have to do with the difference between one-off tasks and recurring tasks? I’ve asked myself similar questions to yours and sometimes I wonder if tedium is harder to accept when you know that, even if you finish this task today, you’ll have to do it again tomorrow, next week, etc. So why not skip it this once? (We all know it’s never just once)
I don’t think so? Even when I’m not thinking about the temporary nature of things I struggle with doing stuff. I want to learn guitar and experiment with painting and sewing, apply to jobs, and all sorts of beans that aren’t temporary in terms of my lifespan. Starting just about anything I want to do is just plain difficult for me.
Ok those are really big things. For those really big intimidating things, I found Barbara Oakley’s book/lectures on procrastination quite helpful. I think they are on YT. They helped me get unstuck during my PhD. For the smaller recurring things, let me know if you find a good strategy :) When it’s non-life-changing fun stuff (e.g. music/drawing/crafts), I try to focus on the joy that I get out of even just dicking around instead of how I suck compared to Picasso.