Domain name paralysis

I spent 6 weeks on domain names for my last project.

Six. Weeks.

I had a spreadsheet with 247 candidates. I was checking availability obsessively, bidding on expired domains, refreshing WHOIS records at midnight. The winning name I actually wanted? $8,500 from a domain broker. So I didn't buy it.

Here's what I learned the hard way:

The trap: Believing a "perfect" domain name is a prerequisite to shipping. It's not. I know founders who launched on free subdomains and pivoted their actual business ten times before worrying about branding.

My actual process now:

• Spend 2 hours brainstorming (not 6 weeks)
• I identify relevant keywords and expanders and then plug them into a spreadsheet that helps flesh those out into possible combinations.
• Check availability on bulk a registration service — sometimes prices vary wildly
• If it's under $500 and available, I buy it. Often I find an acceptible .com domain that is available.
• If it costs thousands, I move on — that's a sign someone else already validated the market segment

The best part? Half my most successful projects have odd or "forgettable" domain names that I initially settled for. Turns out people remember what you do way more than how you spell it.

The domain I couldn't get? It would've been nice, but honestly, the project succeeded for reasons that had zero to do with the URL.

What's your move? Have you ever passed on a domain that later became successful? Or do you have a process that actually saves you time? Curious how others avoid the analysis paralysis trap.