I waste a lot of time on that initial research up to a point I get tired and abandon the project.
So, what process do you follow when starting new projects?
Clone a project that you respect a lot; it could be a library, a framework, or a database. Anything.
Go into that directory and type:
git log --reverse
git show HASH
Obsessing about getting things right in order to get started makes prevents you from getting started and getting things done. This is a malady.
None of what you are obsessing about matters or will survive.
You want to start? Write a text file where you explain what your code does, then write the code that does it. If you are writing a library, give usage examples of the API. Shop it around if you're building it for others [does this make sense to you?]. Then write the backend to make that API real.
But, a great way to start is to write code snippets and functions that do what you want, put them in a utils file, add to it, and then refactor it.
I think X would be cool. - How quickly can I test if X is cool with quick and dirty tactics. I tend to use notepad and make notes along the way, so I can flesh it out into something reproducible later. If the idea doesn't work, at least I have a text file of my process and thinking during that time.
If it does work, I find being able to scaffold your projects quickly is key. Build a script that creates a common set of folders and a new git repository. Things like (notes, source, libraries, docs, archives etc). From here, you can just add things to your git repository as you develop/test/build your idea. It doesn't have to be a project that involves code, as you can manage any files from a git repository. They key is having that scaffolding.