I've found that just doing something, anything, that shows some kind of measured improvement will help. Or the idea of heading towards improvement. I have half a stripped 383 in the garage. Stripping it is a PITA. But I'm taking some cans of paint with me on Wednesday and hope it has two coats on it when I leave. Still not in the car or running, but having a fresh looking engine is going to get me moving faster.
My problem is wasting time. People stop by to chat. The die grinder keeps the compressor running. So the challenge is in stepping away and being productive on something else!
Hope to see you back on it soon!