Starting over on neglected projects

I came across a knitting project that had been stagnating for an embarrassingly long amount of time. You know, like this poor neglected blog. Its something I've been meaning to get back to for years, and it's a beautiful lace project that I just couldn't seem to pick up again. This summer, I put it back on the needles and figured out where I was in the pattern. (Note to self: NEVER put down a project unless you've clearly marked where you stopped. I thought this was for all those people with bad memories, but now, apparently, I am one of them- this also applies to writing projects).

After a few hours of re-familiarizing myself with reading the chart and knitting through a few rows, I found myself back in a place where it became enjoyable again and I felt like I could have stayed up all night knitting. This seemed impossible prior to investing a few hours of hard work in the project but it just goes to show that sometimes in writing and knitting projects, effort investment is required before things become enjoyable and start going smoothly again. The hard part, for me, is remembering that it can become fun again when it feels daunting and impossible. What about you? Any tips for starting over on neglected projects?