Do the edges of the puzzle first. Some problems only make sense once the borders are in place.

Some problems only become solvable once you have established what the limits are. The border is not the interesting part, but it tells you where everything else has to fit, and without it every piece looks equally possible and equally wrong. Starting with structure feels like a delay and is actually the fastest route in.

With whatever is currently overwhelming you, find the edges first. What is the deadline, what is the budget, what is definitely not changing. Write those down before you touch the middle, and watch how much smaller the middle gets.