Most side projects don’t die because of bad code.
They die before the first real feature is built.
You have an idea.
You open a new folder.
And then you get stuck.
Not because you’re lazy.
Not because you don’t know how to code.
But because you don’t know what to build first.
The real problem: the blank folder moment
That moment when everything feels possible is also when everything feels overwhelming.
You start thinking about:
folder structure
tech stack
scalability
future features
And suddenly, nothing moves forward.
Most projects don’t fail later.
They fail right here.
It’s not a motivation problem
This is important.
If you’ve started multiple projects, you already have motivation.
If you know how to code, you already have skill.
What’s missing is direction on day one.
Specifically:
What is the first real thing I should build?
The mistake: thinking about the whole product
When you try to design the entire product before starting, you create friction.
Day one is not about building everything.
Day one is about building one thing that works.
One feature.
One outcome.
One small win.
A simple way to unblock yourself
Before writing any code, answer these questions:
What is the ONE problem this project solves?
Who is this for?
What is the first usable feature?
How will I know this feature works?
What can I ignore for now?
If you can’t answer these clearly, coding will feel heavy.
If you can answer them, starting becomes easy.
*I turned this into a small kit
*
After killing too many ideas on day one, I built a small kit to force myself to answer these questions before coding.
Nothing fancy.
No framework.
No automation.
Just structure and clarity.
I shared a free preview version here:
👉 GitHub (preview):
https://github.com/LCassio99/day-one-dev-kit-preview
And a full version for those who want to go deeper:
👉 Day One Dev Kit:
https://lucianocassio.gumroad.com/l/dzgsna
Final thought
Most projects don’t need better code.
They need a better start.
If you’re stuck on day one, don’t push harder.
Change how you start.
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