Your excuses are persuasive because they know you so well. Don’t give them the final vote.

The reasons you give yourself for not doing something are custom built. They are made out of your real schedule, your actual tiredness and the exact fear you would least like to name, which is why they sound far more reasonable than anyone else’s excuses ever do. Convincing and true are different things.

When a good reason turns up, do a smaller version of the thing anyway. Ten minutes, one page, one set. You will find out quickly whether it was information or just resistance in a nice outfit, and either answer is worth having.