Something that is boring; difficult to make progress on, or tedious
From horse racing.
count sheep
To attempt to go to sleep by thinking of something boring, traditional…
donkey work
Work that is difficult, boring, and routine.
in the thick of
In the middle of (something difficult).
tickle the dragon's tail
To do something that has a risk of going catastrophically wrong.
pull off
To achieve, accomplish, succeed at (something difficult).
stepping stone
Something used as a way to progress to something or somewhere else.