Are you struggling to make time to create your own website? With our never ending to do lists and attention span of a goldfish, it can feel daunting and impossible to actually sit down and create a website ourselves. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you set your priorities straight, cut out useless tasks, and actually conquer what you set out to achieve.
1. Review where and with what you are spending your time
Productivity does not equate to working long hours. Your aim is to work smarter, not harder. What does your typical day look like? Everyone’s day is 24 hours long, and so ‘finding time’ is senseless. Your day will not magically become longer since you are taking on a new project. What you need to do is ‘make time’.
If you are working a full-time job instead of focusing 100% on website creation, the moments when you can make time will be different. If your schedule is cramped, you make time during activities that may be enjoyable but are not so productive, such as late-night Netflix binges and going out to eat. I’m not telling you to stop doing those things altogether, but cut them back. Instead of watching 5 shows in a row, watch 2 and work during the time you would be watching the other 3. Instead of going out twice in a week, go out once.
This also applies to those pointless tasks you do that can be delegated or removed altogether. Can you hire a virtual assistant or an intern to do those things for you? Are you spending hours on end checking your e-mail? If it’s not helping you achieve your goal, stop doing it. Your sole focus should be on creating your own website. At this moment, remove all activities that are not going to help you reach that overarching goal. Even if this means you have to ‘go dark’ for a few months, it will be worth it in the end.
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2. Make a list of everything you need to do
Creating a website has many moving parts. These include coming up with the idea, building the website, customizing its appearance, and promoting it once it is done. To make sure you do not forget anything along the way, write a checklist of everything that needs to be done. A sample to do list can look something like this:
The Idea
Come up with the site’s purpose Create a site map Buy and connect a domain Choose the website creation platform
Building The Website
Create a coming soon page Create pages for your website’s needs (such as home, about, services and contact) Personalize each page’s design Add plugins or widgets Ensure the site is mobile-responsive
Customizing The Appearance
Come up with a brand appearance and stick with it Write and add copy to each page Ensure your site is search engine optimized Connect your site to an e-mail marketing platform
Promotion
Let people know about your site on social media platforms Send a launch newsletter to your e-mail list Track your results
Once you have an outline of what needs to be accomplished, try breaking down large tasks into manageable pieces. For example, ‘buy and connect a domain name’ can be broken down into choose a domain name, select the domain provider, purchase the domain and connect it to your website’s hosting service. By achieving small wins, you are more likely to keep the ball rolling.
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3. Group similar tasks together
Now that you can visually see what you need to do, batch similar tasks together. Do all of your research at the same time. The same goes for writing, creating and promoting. Let’s break those down so you have a clearer picture of how, based on the checklist above:
Research
Brainstorm the:
Site’s purpose
Other website’s appearance
Website creation platforms
Domain name
Pages needed for the website
Brand and design
Plugins and widgets that will be needed
Images to add
E-mail marketing platform
Writing
Write copy for the:
Coming soon page
Pages on the website
Promotion on each social media and e-mail marketing platforms
Creating
Purchase the:
Domain
Website creation platform
E-mail marketing platform
Create the:
Site map
Pages on the website
Design for each page
Mobile-responsive and search engine optimized website
Promoting
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest
E-mail
Remember: we have the attention span of a goldfish. By grouping similar activities together and doing one thing at a time, we become more productive and achieve our goals faster.
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4. Create two week ‘sprints’
Those of you who read Jeff Sutherland’s book ‘Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time’ will know exactly what I mean. A sprint is a two-week period in which you solely focus on one project, and start and complete it during that time period. Each sprint should have the same duration, and bring you closer to achieving your ultimate goal (in this case, create a website yourself).
In practical terms, what does this mean? It means that you will be taking the tasks you grouped together in the previous step and work on them in two-week batches. For instance, one sprint can be do all of the research and brainstorming to create my own website. Another sprint can be create the coming soon page, while another can be write all the copy for each of the website’s pages.
At first you will not know how much work you will be able to efficiently achieve in a two-week period. That is normal. Don’t worry if you have to add work to another sprint. As you slowly get the hang of sprinting, you will get closer and closer to doing everything in two weeks.
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5. Make a schedule and stick to it
Get out your planner and write down what, when and for how long you will be working on each task. Do that for every day in a sprint. If you map out your day in advance, and know the night before what you will be doing the following day, you will be more focused and actually put in the work that needs to be done (remember: you can only ‘make time’ not ‘find it’).
Add easier and faster tasks to complete first. Why? Because it will give you the incentive and confidence to continue working. Once you cross off one or two tasks from your list, you will see that yes, creating a site yourself is most definitely possible. What was missing before was a plan of attack.
If something unplanned comes up during the time you scheduled to work, such as an impromptu lunch or plans to go to the movies, ignore and reschedule it, unless it is an actual emergency. Your number one goal is to create a website, and those other tasks are deterring you from achieving that. If necessary, write your goal in big letters and stick it on you desk or computer screen to keep you on track.
By following the five steps above, I guarantee that making time to create your own website will not be a hassle. All it takes is dedication and knowing what to do when. Once you have created your own website, share it with us! We’d love to see what you have achieved.
P.S. Haven't taken my FREE 5-Day Epic Website Challenge, that teaches you the first steps you need to take to get your site online in a way that makes sense for a total beginner - no tech knowledge or professional designer required? Then fill out the form below and get started right now!
Fill out the form below to join the 5-day FREE EPIC WEBSITE CHALLENGE now and finally get your dream website out of your head!
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