The 3 Questions I Ask Before Starting Any Plugin

I used to jump into plugin ideas the moment they popped into my head.

Now?
I pause.
I ask 3 simple questions before I write a single line of code.

These questions have saved me weeks of wasted effort — and helped me build plugins that actually solve problems.

1. Would I Use This Plugin Myself?

This is always the first check.

If I wouldn’t install this on one of my own sites, why should anyone else?

It doesn’t have to be something I need daily — but it has to be:

• Useful enough to make sense
• Simple enough to maintain
• Clear enough that I understand its purpose without overexplaining

If I’m forcing it, I skip it.

2. Does This Already Exist — and Can I Do It Better or Different?

WordPress has 60,000+ plugins on the repo.
The odds are high that someone’s already built a version of what I’m thinking.

But that’s not a dealbreaker.

I ask:

• Can I do this in a simpler, cleaner, or more focused way?
• Can I build for a specific user or use case that existing plugins ignore?
• Is the current solution bloated or neglected?

Sometimes, the best plugins are better takes on ideas that already exist.

3. Is This a Quick Hack or a Long-Term Project?

Not every plugin needs to be a full-time product.
Some are small helpers, and that’s okay.

But I decide up front:

• Is this a side experiment or a tool I’ll support long term?
• Am I building this for fun, for learning, or for income?
• What happens if it gets 10,000 active installs?

If I don’t want to maintain it later, I don’t pretend I will.

Final Thought

I still get excited about new ideas — that hasn’t changed.
But now I’m more intentional about where I put my energy.

These 3 questions help me focus on plugins that matter — to me, and to the people I build for.

And they’ve made the whole process a lot more rewarding.