How Do You Do It?!?

I have been doing everything on Earth this past year but write my thesis. Don't get me wrong, I've tried and even have done some work on it. But mostly, it has been neglected but definitely not forgotten. It looms over me like a suspended jail sentence.  It haunts me when I am trying to fall asleep, creeps in when I am out with friends and taps me on the shoulder anytime I am having too much fun doing something, anything else. 

I don't really have anyone to blame for my procratination but myself. Yes, I know thesis hatred is definetly a first world problem. But, in my defense (get it? defense??), I was busy planning the wedding and then recovering from the wedding and working and all that but I know I could have done more work on it than I have. 

I just seem to work best under a deadline. Like if I know something is due in 2 weeks I will definetly get on it on the 13th day. But the deadline for the thesis is seven years....seven years!! This is not helping. 

Because I do not teach in January,  I have deemed it thesis month and have vowed to get a lot of work done this month. It's going well so far but in the words of our friend Robert Frost, I have miles to go before I sleep. And by miles I mean pages and pages and chapters and chapters. 

So, my dear friends, how do you approach seemingly insurmountable tasks? How do you stay motivated? Help me out. I have a few years left until my thesis is due but only a few months until my insanity expires.