I'm going to spend weeks stripping every piece of Windows telemetry and bloatware to build my own custom OS (NewialIcore), and I'm exhausted

Hey everyone,
I just wanted to vent a bit and hear from others who have gone down this rabbit hole. Right now, I'm deep in NTLite and system configuration, building my own custom Windows-based OS called NewialIcore.
I haven't finished everything yet, and there is still a massive amount of work ahead. The goal is simple: get rid of every single trace of Windows bloat, forced telemetry, and annoying default markers, and turn it into something clean, fast, and truly mine.
But honestly? It is an absolute nightmare. Going through component by component, pruning services without breaking the installer, and testing build after build in a virtual machine takes hours and hours of pure patience.
Even setting up the custom installation screens—so it greets you with friendly, relaxing messages instead of standard sterile text—takes way more trial and error than I expected.
As the creator, I feel like I'm obligated to actually daily-drive NewialIcore as my main OS once it's done to hunt down every remaining bug. Development is probably going to stretch well into September or even longer because trimming all the Windows DNA out of an operating system is way harder than it looks.
Has anyone else here ever built their own custom ISO? How do you keep from losing your mind when there's still so much to do and a build fails for the fifth time in a row? How are you doing?
Would love to hear your thoughts, advice, or support!