Is my product launch plan perpetually delayed?

Man, I totally get that feeling. It's practically the "daily grind" every product person goes through. It feels like chasing a bus you can never quite catch; just when you think you're about to reach it, it moves a little further ahead.

First off, this isn't your fault, nor is your product particularly unlucky. It's a common phenomenon in the industry, and there's a specific term for it: "Scope Creep."

Let me give you an analogy, and you'll understand:

Originally, you just wanted to build a small hut, something to keep out the wind and rain. Once construction started, you thought, "Oh, let's add a window for more light." Then you thought, "How about painting the walls white? And we should probably lay down some flooring, right? Since we're doing flooring, why not underfloor heating? If we have underfloor heating, shouldn't the roof have better tiles?"... Eventually, you realize you only intended to spend a month building a hut, but half a year later, you're staring at the unfinished foundation of a "luxury villa," feeling frustrated.

Your product launch plan is exactly this "hut-to-villa" process.

The reasons for this problem are usually just a few:

Chasing Perfection, Always Wanting 'Just a Little Bit More': This is the biggest pitfall. Always thinking, "This feature isn't user-friendly enough," "That interface could be optimized further," or "What if users don't like it?" So you constantly modify and add new features, hoping to launch a killer product all at once. But the reality is, no product is perfect in its first version. Look at successful products like WeChat and Taobao today; their earliest versions were incredibly basic, but the key is, they "got born" first.
Lack of a 'Minimum Viable Product' (MVP) Concept: This is a crucial idea. It means that for our first version, we shouldn't aim to satisfy everyone's every need. We only need to use the most core features to solve the "most painful pain point" for our core users. For example, if you want to build a community app, don't start by thinking about live streaming, e-commerce, short videos, private messages... You might just need to focus on one core feature: "allowing people with similar interests to post and reply to threads," and then launch. Attract your first batch of users, listen to their real feedback, and then decide what to do next.
Overly Optimistic Workload Estimates: For a single feature, you might think, "It's just adding a button and saving some data in the backend, I can get it done in a week." But once you start, you realize you need to consider various edge cases, conduct tests, adapt to different phones, design databases... The actual time spent could be three times or even more than your estimate.

So, what to do?

Don't lose heart; this isn't a terminal illness, there's a cure:

Be Ruthless, Cut Features: Make a list of all the features you currently plan to implement. Then start cutting. Ask yourself: "If the first version doesn't have this feature, will my product die?" If the answer is "No, it just won't be as cool," then decisively cut it or push it to the second or third version plan. Remember, your goal is to "launch," not to "launch perfectly."
Define a Clear V1.0: Clearly write down that your 1.0 version will include features A, B, and C, with the UI reaching a certain level, and it will be considered complete as long as there are no user-impacting bugs. Then set a hard deadline (e.g., "Launch by X date, no matter what"). This deadline is your finish line, forcing you to make trade-offs.
Embrace Imperfection, Iterate Quickly: View launching as the "beginning," not the "end." Only after your product is live can you get real market validation; user feedback is more valuable than brainstorming a hundred features in isolation. Launch early, get negative feedback early (yes, negative feedback is crucial!), then you'll know what needs to be changed and can quickly release the next version for optimization. This is called "small steps, fast iteration."

So, your product plan isn't "forever" delayed; it's just caught in a common loop. What you need to do isn't to build a more luxurious car, but to first put on four wheels and an engine to get it running. Get on the road first, then fix it as you drive.