Do you ever open your project folder, look at the long list of subdirectories, and just sigh? I do. It’s a digital graveyard where brilliant ideas, million-dollar dreams, and "world-changing" apps are buried, never to see the light of day.
I suffer from a condition I jokingly call "Shiny Object Syndrome."
It usually starts like this: I’m taking a shower, or driving, and BOOM! An idea strikes. "Oh my god, this is going to be the Next Big Thing! I need to build an AI-powered expense tracker, or a social network for cat owners!". Dopamine floods my brain. I rush to my computer, set up Next.js, install Tailwind, and draw out the database schema. The first two days are pure bliss. I am the Lord of Code, the Destroyer of Command Lines.
But then, day 3 and day 4 arrive.
The framework is done. Now comes the authentication handling, form validation, error handling, and making it mobile-responsive. The meticulous, boring, and frustrating stuff. The initial excitement plummets. Just then, another idea pops up: "Hey, why don't I build a tool that auto-generates blog posts?". This new idea is shiny, full of promise, and most importantly: it doesn't have the annoying bugs I'm currently facing in my current project.
So, I ditch the old one and jump to the new one. The loop restarts. The result? Nothing gets finished. Zero. Nada.
If you see yourself in this story, the good news is you are not alone. But the bad news is: if we don't change, we will forever remain "wantrepreneurs." After years of struggling, I’ve distilled a few strategies to break this cycle. This is my commitment to myself, and advice for you:
1. The Idea Backlog
The problem isn't that you have too many ideas; it's that you act on them too soon. When a new idea appears, don't code immediately. Write it down in a list (I use Notion). Write down everything you're thinking: features, tech stack, UI layout.
Then, let it "sleep" there for 2 weeks. This is the Cooling-off Period. If after 2 weeks you still find it interesting and feasible, then consider it. You'd be surprised to find that 80% of the ideas that kept you up at night seem silly or not worth the effort when reviewed 2 weeks later.
2. Redefine MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
We are often too ambitious. My MVP usually includes: Dark mode, multi-language support, AI integration... right from version one. Big mistake! Be brutally minimalistic. An MVP should have one core feature that solves one single problem. For example: A to-do list app? The MVP just needs to add and delete tasks. No login, no cloud sync, no dark mode. Finish that core first. The feeling of finishing something small creates far more momentum than leaving something grand unfinished.
3. "Boring is Good" - Embrace the Grind
Seth Godin talks about "The Dip." Every project has a honeymoon phase, followed by a dip of difficulty and boredom before reaching success. The difference between a Senior Developer and a novice isn't just coding skills; it's the ability to tolerate boredom. When you want to quit to start something new, tell yourself: "This is The Dip. If I can push through this boring code, I win." Learn to love the process of refining, not just the flashy beginning.
4. The "Ship or Die" Rule
Set a short-term deadline. For example: "I must deploy this project to Vercel/Netlify within 7 days, no matter how ugly it is." Putting a product out in public creates positive pressure. The embarrassment of showing a buggy product is sometimes the best motivation to fix it. Stop hiding code in Localhost. Let the world judge it. An ugly but "Live" project is worth a billion times more than a perfect project stuck in "Localhost."
5. Find an Accountability Partner
Find a friend who is also building projects, or join Indie Hacker communities. Commit to them: "This week I will finish the Login feature." When you know someone is waiting for your update, it's much harder to quit.
Conclusion
Creativity is a gift, but without discipline, it’s a curse. I am learning to detox from the "newness" to find joy in completion. My next project won’t be a "world-changing project"; it will just be a "finished project."
What about you? Are you letting great ideas die on your hard drive? Join me in this commitment: Stop starting, and start finishing.
