When I sit down to work, I need a clean desktop: The physical desk where I'm sitting should be uncluttered, and the virtual desktop of my computer should be neat and organized. Clutter in all its forms paralyzes me, so when it accumulates, I find that taking a few minutes to purge it makes for faster, easier work.
One form of clutter I've been neglecting for months is this website. While I make my living by organizing and presenting web content for others, I always kind of slapped something on this domain as a Band-Aid instead of treating myself like I do my clients. I'd find myself with a few hours of free time on a Sunday and think, "I should work on my site," focused more on the getting-it-done part than the figuring-it-out part. Then, ten hours later, I'd find that I hadn't made much progress and would need to switch gears back to client work the next morning, so I'd hastily stitch up any open wounds and let it sit until another free, inspired Sunday. The result was a Frankensite of mismatched sections, poor navigation, and other no-nos.
Well, I finally set aside some time to suspend most of my other work and do things right for myself. (Disclaimer: I am still cleaning up things here and there and will be launching additional features soon, but it now is cohesive, presentable, and properly built for easy future updating.)
I have some client projects going on, but transitioning back into the cash flow of self-employment has been a major challenge the past couple of months, so I decided to do this partially as a distraction from spending money. Instead of going to the movies, finding new oh-I-must-have gadgets from Sur la Table, we're staying at home and being super-productive. We're even surprising ourselves with the meals we have made from the pantry stocks that usually get overlooked like granny panties in the back of the undie drawer.
Anyway, I took the time to clean up this clutter, and beside eliminating the need for excuses to potential clients ("I'm too busy with client work, so don't pay attention to my site... it needs to be updated"), I can send people to my site without worry... AND I find myself re-energized and re-inspired to create good work for others.
One form of clutter I've been neglecting for months is this website. While I make my living by organizing and presenting web content for others, I always kind of slapped something on this domain as a Band-Aid instead of treating myself like I do my clients. I'd find myself with a few hours of free time on a Sunday and think, "I should work on my site," focused more on the getting-it-done part than the figuring-it-out part. Then, ten hours later, I'd find that I hadn't made much progress and would need to switch gears back to client work the next morning, so I'd hastily stitch up any open wounds and let it sit until another free, inspired Sunday. The result was a Frankensite of mismatched sections, poor navigation, and other no-nos.
Well, I finally set aside some time to suspend most of my other work and do things right for myself. (Disclaimer: I am still cleaning up things here and there and will be launching additional features soon, but it now is cohesive, presentable, and properly built for easy future updating.)
I have some client projects going on, but transitioning back into the cash flow of self-employment has been a major challenge the past couple of months, so I decided to do this partially as a distraction from spending money. Instead of going to the movies, finding new oh-I-must-have gadgets from Sur la Table, we're staying at home and being super-productive. We're even surprising ourselves with the meals we have made from the pantry stocks that usually get overlooked like granny panties in the back of the undie drawer.
Anyway, I took the time to clean up this clutter, and beside eliminating the need for excuses to potential clients ("I'm too busy with client work, so don't pay attention to my site... it needs to be updated"), I can send people to my site without worry... AND I find myself re-energized and re-inspired to create good work for others.