A rapid shift to something else can be a way to obscure important cues. Once we have begun a task, however unpleasant, we gain by doing it with joy. Only a fool adds voluntary bad feeling to an already difficult assignment. Remember that failure to act will likely result in failure to achieve that which we have labeled important. We can often generate enthusiasm for our choices by simply deciding to do so.
Fear is an underlying element of much procrastination.
Techniques for dealing with fears include containing them, acknowledging them and deciding to proceed anyway, extinguishing them, rationalizing them away, responding to them with positive action, and exaggerating them to expose their relative unimportance. Consider the price of delay. Usually, in addition to the obvious costs, there will be more subtle consciousness costs as we pay the price of worry. We can stress the benefits of action, and learn to act more decisively. Common escapes include indulging in consumptive activities, socializing, reading, repetition of known ineffectual behaviors, running away, daydreaming.