Why Most Side Projects Fail — And How You Can Make Yours Succeed

Discover the hidden pitfalls behind abandoned side projects — and a roadmap to finally finish yours.

The Romantic Notion of Side Projects

It always starts the same way: a spark of inspiration.
You’re in the shower, or halfway through your workday, when an idea pops into your head — an app that solves a real problem, a tool that scratches your own itch, a game that could go viral.

You jot it down. Maybe you even buy a domain.
Then comes the late-night coding session, the first Git commit, the surge of motivation.

But, if you’re like most of us, within a few weeks — or even days — the project is collecting digital dust.

Why Do We Abandon Our Side Projects?

According to a survey by Stack Overflow, nearly 80% of developers have unfinished side projects.

Below are some of the most common reasons why:

1. Unrealistic Expectations

We set the bar too high:

• I’ll launch this in a month.
• I’ll get 10,000 users by…