I know a lot of people that get almost overwhelmed when starting scales. What I generally tell them is to think of it like typing. At first you pick and poke, then you start using the correct fingers, but you have to look at the keyboard and really concentrate on what you are spelling. Eventually, your hands treat typing exactly like speaking. You don't THINK about the letters you are typing, or really even the words themselves. Your brain just instinctively knows through repetition how to recreate the word you want. (Well, that is, assuming you're a big geek like my friends and I and type well :D )