When I am starting a new project I have learned to identify the unknowns.

"I don't know how to do X, Y and Z."

Before I begin working on the real solutions for X, Y & Z I start by making a test program that does X. It's ok if it requires a ton of scaffolding, or canned data... the important thing is to do X. Then I do the same for Y & Z.

Now that I understand the problem I do a software design. I do this on paper and I purposely do it super quick and not caring about how neat it is... and I throw away designs rapidly as I iterate and improve. Eventually the paper crumbling slows down and I approach a real design.

This is finally the point that I can write "real" code. The unknowns are gone and all the software design iteration happened on paper.