Why do side projects never get finished?

Because done was never defined, so every hard task becomes optional. Without a picture of what v1 is, the messy middle offers a way out at every step: do I really need the sync feature for launch, maybe skip it for now. Skip enough optional things and there is no product left.

Is abandoning side projects a discipline problem?

No, and treating it as one is why the usual fixes fail. Telling yourself to focus and push through the boring parts addresses the symptom. Four projects and hundreds of hours went the same way not because motivation ran out but because nothing defined the finish line.

What does the abandonment pattern look like?

A CLI tool with the core working and the sync feature that was the whole point never built. A habit tracker with the UI done and notifications unsolved. A CMS abandoned after seeing something similar launch. An extension with the popup, storage and half the tagging logic. Always the fun part first.

What should you write before starting a side project?

Thirty minutes on what v1 actually is: what it does, who it is for, and the specific list of things that must exist for you to call it shipped. Not a grand vision or a roadmap. A list short enough that you can check whether you are finished.

Why does seeing a competitor launch kill motivation?

Because without a stated goal, the only measure of the project is novelty, and someone else launching removes it. A project with a written definition of done has a second measure that survives the news: whether the thing you set out to build exists yet.

I Shipped 4 Side Projects Last Year and Finished None of Them

The Pattern

Here’s my 2024 in side projects:

January: A CLI tool for managing dotfiles. Got the core working in a weekend. Never added the sync feature that was the whole point.

April: A habit tracker with a twist (location-based reminders). Built the UI, wired up geolocation, never figured out the notification system. Moved on.

July: A Markdown-based CMS. Actually got pretty far on this one. Then I saw someone launch something similar on Product Hunt and lost all motivation.

October: A browser extension for bookmarking with AI tags. Built the popup, the storage layer, half the tagging logic. Thanksgiving happened. Never touched it again.

Four projects. Hundreds of hours. Nothing shipped.

Why This Keeps Happening

I used to think it was a discipline problem. I’d tell myself to focus, to push through the boring parts, to stop chasing new ideas. That framing never worked because it treated the symptom, not the cause.

The real problem was simpler: I never defined what “done” meant before I started.

Each project began with an exciting idea and an immediate jump to code. The first few days were great. Everything was new, progress was visible, momentum was high. Then I’d hit the messy middle, the part where you’re wiring up boring stuff, handling edge cases, writing the features that aren’t fun but are necessary.

Without a clear picture of what v1 looked like, every hard task felt optional. “Do I really need the sync feature for launch? Maybe I’ll skip it for now.” Skip enough “optional” things and there’s no product left.

The Fix Isn’t Discipline

After four abandoned projects, I tried something different for project number five. Before writing any code, I spent thirty minutes writing down exactly what v1 was.

Not a grand vision. Not a roadmap. Just a list:

What does it do?
Who is it for?
What are the 5-7 features in v1?
What is explicitly NOT in v1?
How will I know it’s done?

That last question mattered most. “Done” became concrete: when a user can do X, Y, and Z, it’s done. Not perfect. Not polished. Done.

When I hit the boring middle on project five, something was different. The boring tasks weren’t optional anymore. They were on the list. I could see exactly how many were left. The finish line was visible.

I shipped it.

What Changes When You Define Done

Three things shift when you write down what v1 looks like:

You can say no to yourself. New feature ideas still pop up. But now you have a list, and the new idea isn’t on it. “Cool idea. That’s v2.” Back to the list.

The boring parts feel purposeful. Setting up auth is tedious. But when it’s item 4 of 7 on your v1 list, finishing it feels like progress instead of a chore.

You know when to stop. This is the big one. Without a definition of done, you’re never done. There’s always one more thing to add, one more thing to fix. With a list, you check off the last item and ship.

Thirty Minutes That Save Thirty Hours

I’m not suggesting you write a formal spec for every side project. That would kill the fun. But thirty minutes of “what is this thing, specifically?” before you open your editor will save you from the cycle.

Write it in a note, a README, the back of a napkin. Doesn’t matter. Just answer: what does done look like?

Your future self, the one who’s tired on a Tuesday night and debating whether to keep going, needs something to point at. Give them a list to finish instead of a vision to chase.