Ask HN: What's stopping you from starting your side project?

I used to hear that question, from friends or my own inner voice, and it stung. Why hadn’t I built that app, finished that novel, or launched that YouTube idea?

Recently I tried something simple, I think I might have read this in a book somewhere: I dumped every “someday” idea onto paper.

Then I split them:

Still excited about it = keep

Not anymore = trash

From the keep pile, I broke each dream into the tiniest first step, then scheduled it into my actual week.

The result? I’ve made some progress, but more importantly, I feel lighter. No more carrying the guilt of dozens of unfinished projects in my head.

So I’m curious:

What's the primary thing that stops you from starting? And what’s been the most effective way you’ve found to actually start?