Lack of motivation or apathy for me is usually a sign that I'm sliding into a depressive episode. I just can't be bothered with things generally. Is it possible that you're getting depressed? Are you bored with your job. I'm an accountant too, and I know when I'm bored it's deadly for me - I'll do all kinds of things to distract myself so that I'll be under an artificial deadline to hurry up and get things done. Maybe you need more challenging work?

You say you get distracted when you hit a particularly challenging tax return. Could it be because you're afraid of making a mistake?

Just some thoughts.

--splitimage