That's exactly my approach. I spent a month on a project not really getting anywhere, putting things off and moving things 2/3 pixels in CSS code doing "work".
I then bought a whiteboard, itemised in root-level terms the tasks I needed to get done, how I would achieve them, and then crossed them off when done.
I not only felt accountable to myself, but as I work alone, friends or family visiting me would ensure my checklist was being ticked off and ask questions on specific points ("why haven't you done that?" "because XYZ is taking longer than expected" etc...)
The list makes you answer questions about how you'll tackle the problem, it also allows you to think without staring at a screen which is beneficial.
I not only felt accountable to myself, but as I work alone, friends or family visiting me would ensure my checklist was being ticked off and ask questions on specific points ("why haven't you done that?" "because XYZ is taking longer than expected" etc...)
The list makes you answer questions about how you'll tackle the problem, it also allows you to think without staring at a screen which is beneficial.