I started making a copy / matching night stand for my wife a few days ago. I made my night stand many years ago, at the beginning of my wood working journey. It is very utilitarian, basically just 2x construction material ripped in 1-1/2" squares. All pieces are 1-1/2" square, legs, stretchers, top is laminated out of it. When I made that I knew almost nothing. I had another project to make some shelving / cabinets for the garage and owned a chop saw, corded drill, speed square and then the cheapest table saw I could find on Craigslist, to rip the plywood. Long of the short is none of the 2x material was dimensioned beyond how it came from the home center. I screwed it all together, sanded down the uneven spots, stained, and put it in my bedroom. In fact it still is right next to me. I was thrilled with how it turned out and still really like it. I never checked it for square, never worried about if the material was flat, was just really happy that is looked nice and worked.
I now find myself fretting over everything. Is the material exactly square, is it perfectly flat Along it's length, mortise slightly fat, toss it. Even on this very simple project, I find myself meticulously dimensioning every piece. I find the more I know the more I fret, paralysis by analysis. I like to think I am just wanting to become better, but some days...
Anyways just a vent among others some of which I'm sure have had the same issues. I mostly just try to power through it, as I generally feel there's no replacement for experience.
So what keeps you motivated when the stars aren't lining up?