Ask HN: Tons of ideas, zero products.

So generally I'll try to do one of two things:

1) Find a partner. I find it a lot easier to get going and a lot harder to quit when there's someone else going through it with you; sort of like going to the gym...

2) Pick an idea that still excites me even after sitting in my list for a while. If I'm going to go it alone, whatever it is has to be important enough to me that I still care after that initial honeymoon. This time is really valuable to me personally. I find that in the beginning I focus on potential but given some time I'll eventually come back to earth and think more about what needs to be done, all the steps, and potential roadblocks. After all that, if I'm still excited to tackle the problem, I have at least some confidence that I'll have the conviction to push through the hard times.

Fair warning, my current list is long and the number completed is still zero (abandoned projects is also zero). I have just started working on something recently though, so there is some hope. I guess this is really a long winded way of saying try to find something that you're really passionate about, don't waste time on things you aren't, and don't get discouraged if you haven't found it yet.

I did it for a friend of mine who had been trying to write a novel for 20 years. Same kind of problem, lots of ideas, no execution. So I worked with him, set-up deadlines and deliverables (one 10 page chapter every 2 weeks) and I got to 'kick his ass' if he didn't deliver. (Creative ass kicking, ie once he was late with delivery and had to take me out drinking with him, and he had to buy me his favorite shot and watch me enjoy it while he could only sit and drink beer: he never delivered late again)End story, he got the book written; once it was written he was able to iterate until it was in publishable form (5 extra drafts, but once it was actually done, he had no problem going through and re-writing heavily - the biggest hurdle was just to write the thing completely. It got accepted for publication by a small publisher who worked on the book for a year but then went bankrupt. So we ended up self publishing it and it has been doing reasonably well so far. Now he is halfway through his second novel, no ass kicking needed. sometimes just completing something unblocks you.

Now you could find a good friend to do this for you, or you could put up a blog and use the public for an ass-kicking mentor (the internet is unmerciful if you promise to deliver something but don't, good motivation to execute :)

I'm in EE region too (Prague, ex-pat for 8 years now) so drop me a line if you need a boot in the butt to get going on your project (yes, only choose one to start, once that's complete knock yourself out multitasking).

I have experience in this type of work :)

Look into joining nReduce.

Or join us at VocalTap. We host monthly video chats among startups so they can share their progress and provide insight and direction on execution. Email me if you're interested!

Some on this thread have said, basically, stop whining and start building. When someone asks for advice, that's not generally the greatest response. But, you asked your question, and you have your answer. You don't need to figure out every little nuance to try to achieve some maximal level of momentum. THAT is what can often get you stuck. You've got some great advice, so: Go implement it!

And more than that, come back to HN on Monday and show us the cool weekend project you made. I'll be looking for it.