It would be helpful to give some ideas of the sorts of projects that you're thinking of. It sounds like you have a very specific idea in mind. What sort of things do you have on your TODO list and what are you assuming that folks here have on their TODO lists?
For me, the first thing when starting a project is to figure out who you're building it for and what problem you're solving for them. Try to talk to them and ask lots of questions about the problem domain and about their problem. Allow yourself to be surprised by the answers. This may involve learning to ask open questions and not coming into it with too many preconceptions. Try not to ask questions that assume what you already _think_ you know.
Secondly, try to build something (minimal) as quickly as you can and try to get someone using it. If you are lucky enough to have customers then great, either observe them using it or ask them how well it works for them.
Thirdly, try to iterate as quickly as possible. Whatever you build in the first place probably won't be the right thing anyway so try to learn, as quickly as possible, what is wrong with it, and then change it. Again, allow yourself to be surprised by what you learn and try to be aware of any initial assumptions that you might have, so that they don't lead you in the wrong direction if they turn out to be wrong.
All of the above assumes that you're lucky enough to have customers. If you don't have any then either abandon what you're working on or be content to work on something that scratches your own itch (in which case, you're the customer and you're the one who decides what works and what doesn't).
Finally, I'm still really curious about this TODO list with ideas that you might have. For me, nothing crushes my sense of intrinsic motivation more than feeling forced to pick up items from a TODO list. How does your TODO list work for you? What benefits does your TODO list give you? And are you aware of any negatives that spring from it?