When faced with an unsurmountable pile of tech debt there is one question you have to ask yourself first.
Do we need this?
If the answer is no, then chances are you don’t need it and the energy you are putting into it (mental and physical) isn’t worth it.
At that point it isn’t Tech Debt anymore, it’s just stuff that’s there that you don’t need anymore.
No one puts effort into “things” they don’t need anymore (i.e., think of that old couch that is taking up space in your basement), they get rid of it, turf it, punt it to the curb, and move on with life.
You don’t need to fix everything that gets in the TechDebt category, some of it can be turned off.
