This is an in-depth look at my project execution and website creation process<\/strong> from scratch \u2014 tech & backend infrastructure setup, design and writing content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note:<\/strong> I’ve been in digital marketing since 2010, and learned how to build websites and marketing by myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’ve never built a website before or is new to marketing, web design and\/or writing, please be patient and kind to yourself. I started where you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve been interested in personal productivity and personal performance for a long time, and enrolled in Building a Second Brain (BASB) \u2014 Cohort 10, a 5 Week course by Tiago Forte.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the course, I already knew I wanted to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were asked to decide on a capstone project<\/em> to apply the concepts we\u2019re learning to a real project we wanted to work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I chose to build my new website, because I had just experienced a breakthrough and overcame my fear of writing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My new website was going to be the home to house my work online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the start of BASB, I met Larry<\/a> at the student on-boarding call. We connected on Facebook and talked about what we wanted to achieve in 5 weeks. He wanted to organise new info for new content on his website to help him with his career transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we both had “website goals”, he suggested we work toward our goals together, and we became accountability partners. I was delighted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larry\u2019s goal was to publish 4 pages. My goal was to publish 5 pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We decided to publish whatever we create at the end of 2 weeks, and agreed it was a good constraint to aim for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding an accountability partner (and a new friend) at the beginning of the course felt serendipitous. I welcome social pressure to ensure I ship my work to help me avoid my perfectionism tendencies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The 2 week constraint informed how I made decisions as I worked through different phases of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first thing I did was create a simple Project Plan that outlined the brief, the desired outcomes and tasks involved. This allowed me to stay organised and quickly see where I am in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve shared my Website Project Plan at the end of this article for reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m tech savvy, but I\u2019m not a coder. When I first learned to build websites on WordPress,\u00a0I learned how to use plugins, sort out conflicting issues and some basic html to get the website functioning the way I want it to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technology has improved a ton in the last decade, and I saw visual webpage builders rise in popularity. They seemed easy to use, and I was initially drawn to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because I haven’t been keeping up with website builder trends and new tools that flooded the market, I needed to research and update myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I\u2019m not a graphic designer, I have the sense and taste for good design. This makes me very picky because I intuitively know what looks good, what works and what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also know how I want design<\/a> to function with my marketing \u2014 and I wanted the freedom and flexibility to control layouts, elements and styles the way I want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This immediately rules out platforms like Wix and Square Space because they are too restrictive. They are platforms built for newbies and people who’s not interested in tweaking things for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My initial desire was to step away from WordPress, but in the end WordPress is a solid CMS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked into Webflow as an option. While it had the design flexibility and a built-in CMS I wanted, it was overkill for what I need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Webflow is made for graphic\/web designers \u2014 it\u2019s their candy store. Their rich feature set is reflected in their steeper pricing compared to other visual webpage builders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Big feature sets also mean big learning curve.<\/strong> Looking at the Webflow interface caused my eyes to glaze over. It\u2019s a similar experience when I look at the Adobe Photoshop interface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though they have a freemium model, I didn’t want to spend days getting cozy with all its features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because I\u2019m already familiar with WordPress, I settled on WordPress and\u00a0Brizy<\/a>\u00a0theme which was the best set up for my needs. I can always change my tools later if my needs change.<\/p>\n\n\n After using the Brizy theme for 7 months, I found it painful to publish articles in the new default Gutenberg Editor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I also discovered that visual webpage builders destroys website speed performance. So I switched to\u00a0Focus Theme<\/a>\u00a0in December and redesigned website V2.0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, I was finding myself bumping up against friction when publishing content. After using the Focus Theme, I realised it required some coding knowledge to get my website looking the way I wanted which frustrated me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I switched to Generate Press<\/a> and Generate Blocks<\/a> to redesign website V3.0.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n Because I had the desire to build a personal brand website for a while, I\u2019ve already been paying attention to web design elements and styles such as\u00a0fonts, colours, layouts and types of pages<\/strong>\u00a0from websites I’ve seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I captured ideas in my PKM (Personal Knowledge Management) System and took notes for inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the concepts taught in BASB is \u201cJust in Time Project Management<\/a>\u201c, where you build a habit of collecting information relevant to the interests, goals or potential projects you have in mind. So when you\u2019re ready to bring that project to life, you already have a bunch of relevant notes to work with at your finger tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding this principle validated why I was able to execute my website project with speed because I’ve already developed the habit of capturing relevant notes. I also had enough organisation in my digital workspace that allowed me to retrieve my notes and files quickly and easily to help me work efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because I was not starting from a blank canvas, I just had to continue to add extra notes to ensure I have enough ideas to look at and model when the time comes to creating my own design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I discovered Plectica<\/a>, a diagramming and mapping tool and used it to map out all the pages I wanted on my site with relevant notes attached to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It allowed me to easily see what I\u2019m creating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Questions I asked myself as I planned out my project:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This question is key because my natural instinct is to want to do it all. I have an\u00a0all-or-nothing<\/em>\u00a0personality complex, so I needed to create constraints for myself in order to get crystal clear about what is enough to launch the website and complete the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I needed to\u00a0justify my reasons\u00a0for a certain page to exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This helped me prioritise and decide what to create first. It also helped me think about how I wanted to write the content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Questions that helped me dig deeper:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I installed WordPress, Brizy<\/a> webpage builder and WordPress plugins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started writing the Home page, learned how to use Brizy by watching their Youtube channel<\/a>, and created my logo with Canva<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n I originally didn\u2019t plan on creating a logo. I knew I didn\u2019t need one and was more than happy to just use text for my name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Logos are completely unnecessary<\/strong> to start a new website \u2014 it\u2019s more of a \u2018nice to have\u2019 that can be added later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Logos are not that important in the grand scheme of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a new kid on the block like me without an online presence\u2026 no one cares about your logo because you haven\u2019t established a reputation for yourself. Your ‘brand’ is your reputation, not your logo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too many creators, entrepreneurs and business owners fall into the \u201cdesign trap\u201d, mistaking design<\/a> with marketing and branding due to their lack of knowledge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people think they need a logo to start a website when they actually don\u2019t. And I\u2019ve made this mistake many times. All it did was slow down my progress, and my websites used to take MONTHS to complete because I focused on the wrong things at the wrong time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only reason I ended up creating a logo this time was because I happened to stumble across a design that resonated with me. What I saw help me see what I wanted my future brand to be. It gave me the inspiration to create my logo on the spot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With that spark of creativity in the moment, I completed my logo creation in an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCreate a logo\u201d was not on my original project plan. I only added it in later as a task checked off so I could track what I\u2019ve actually accomplished.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n While I was in design mode, I pulled up my design notes which included a short list of fonts and colours I\u2019ve used in the past. It was super handy to have something to refer to and modify on the fly, which helped me decide on the style and feel of my personal brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once all design decisions were made, I applied and created a \u2018page template\u2019 in Brizy so the design can remain consistent on all pages of my site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As soon as the design work is done, I switched gears to focus on writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I referred to the project tasks<\/strong> each morning to see what I still needed to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d either start writing a new page or continue writing what I didn\u2019t finish the day before. The page is only considered finished when I feel like I\u2019ve achieved my goal for that particular page. Every page had different goals and purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I repeated this process everyday and stay focused in order to keep the project moving and deliver the 5 pages I promised to publish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No research was required since this is a personal brand website. I already have all the content sitting inside me. I just needed to pull the words out and write from my heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wanted my website to be a true reflection of me, so when people land on it, they can sense who I am and what I’m about \u2014 I wanted to match the experience as close as I can to the experience if they met me in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the writing phase, I allowed the words to flow out of me, and referred to my notes for additional inspiration whenever I felt stuck. My writing process at this point was mostly intuitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For years, I’ve imagined what my personal brand could be if I had my own personal website, which meant ideas have already been brewing in the back of my mind. I didn’t need to overthink what I wanted to write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The writing phase was mainly a matter of discipline, consistency and execution<\/strong>. My only job was to make sure I sit my ass down and write until all the pages are checked off my list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I started the process of adopting the identity and behaviour of a writer from working on this project. If I was going to call myself a writer, I’d better act like one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The day ended up being a complete write-off due to a power outage. Because I\u2019d been working 13 days straight, it was a welcomed break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One day later, I showed Larry my good enough<\/em> website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 5 pages I finished were not the same 5 pages I aimed for at the start. Knowing I only had 12 days to do both writing and editing, getting it done was more important. I knew I needed to do my best to stay in flow and ride the momentum I built, I decided to knock out the easiest pages first to avoid procrastination \u2014 rather than forcing myself to write what I wasn\u2019t ready for yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because writing is a form of self expression, the result is never as good when you try to force it. And I was also not willing to compromise on quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was quite pleased with the 5 pages I produced for my \u201cminimum viable website\u201d, however my project was not finished yet. There were 4 more pages I wanted to write to deem the project complete, and for me to feel good about my work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I gave myself another week, and created a new \u2018publish-to-the-world\u2019 deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was time to decide on an ESP (email service provider) in order to build my audience and publish newsletters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve used Aweber and Active Campaign in the past, and wanted a tool that gave me a better experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I already know about\u00a0ConvertKit<\/a>, and watched them grow into a solid contender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ease of use<\/strong>\u00a0and a\u00a0well-designed writing workflow<\/strong>\u00a0were important to me, so I researched ConvertKit to ensure it had everything I needed and wanted. I wasn\u2019t expecting to love what I saw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To my delight, they\u2019ve included a\u00a0Freemium Model<\/a>\u00a0to help more creators<\/a> earn a living due to the Covid pandemic. It was a no brainer to sign up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The setup, integration and email writing process were easy and intuitive unlike the painful workflow I experienced in Active Campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I integrated ConvertKit with my website and tested my setup, I continued writing to finish the remaining pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The About page was always the hardest one to write. It took me 3 days to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My internet went down on 23rd April for an entire week, but I was lucky enough to tether off my phone to keep working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All 9 pages were published on 25th April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, before I could do a happy dance, it dawned on me that I forgot about setting up website analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It took me 4 days to learn how to set up tracking with Google Analytics & GTM (Google Tag Manager). MeasureSchool channel<\/a> helped and had easy to understand tutorials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In between learning analytics, I also felt the need to refine my work as self doubt and perfectionism crept in the closer I got to telling people about my project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imposter Syndrome<\/strong> is every creator\u2019s nightmare\u2026 it stops us from shipping our work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I realised I was using \u201clearning analytics\u201d as an excuse to not tell people about my new website because of fear… not knowing what people will think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a BASB Women’s Group call, my group mentor Alina asked me about my progress with my capstone project. I told her I finished it, but haven\u2019t told anyone yet because I was busy learning analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She encouraged me to post in the community forum, and it was the kick in the ass I needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right before I created a post to announce my completed capstone project in the community forum\u2026 a thought entered my mind that stopped me in my tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My announcement didn’t seem very useful and felt self-serving. It didn’t sit right with me because I felt the focus was on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I never liked being the centre of attention, and I naturally wanted to take the focus away from me, so I asked myself…<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat would help other students the most? To help them accomplish their capstone projects and speed up their progress?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt that was a much better question for me to answer. So I decided to write a case study of how I completed my capstone project to share it with the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought it would be more valuable for people to see how I tackle and complete a website project since my knowledge and experience was in digital marketing. And how I navigated the problems and challenges I faced along the way. They would be able to see the decisions I made behind the scenes in order to complete the project in the timeframe I set for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On 1st May, I shared my new website privately with 14 BASB friends who knew about my project. Then went straight back to work, and spent the next 2 days writing up the original version of this case study to post in the community forum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As promised, the Website Project Plan I created in\u00a0Roam is below. I was new to Roam and hadn’t spent much time exploring the features, so I ran with the bare basics<\/strong>\u00a0and knew just enough to create the project plan to help me stay organised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from my existing marketing knowledge, the single biggest factor that contributed to my ability to finish my project from scratch in under a month was the skill of focus<\/em> I honed over time to\u00a0do one thing at a time<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I tackled my project in phases, and batched all related tasks together because I learned about\u00a0the cost of\u00a0context switching<\/strong>, and discovered how unproductive multi-tasking really is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because our brains can only focus on one thing at a time, every time you switch your focus from one thing to another, you end up losing 20% of your time to complete that task, since it takes time for your brain to recalibrate and \u201ccatch up\u201d to where you were before you moved your focus to something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Multi-tasking and doing too many things at once robs you from your day. This means, the more projects and tasks you try to tackle in a day, the more time you lose. It negatively compounds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you know you\u2019ve worked your ass off but at the end of the month you say to yourself, \u201cGeez\u2026 I worked really hard this month, but doesn\u2019t seem like I have anything to show for it\u2026\u201d<\/em> \u2014 This is why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Focus is powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are my personal reflections, and my answers to the questions we were asked at the end of the cohort\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n What results did you accomplish?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A beautiful, simple, modern personal brand website that gives people a different experience while also helps them see what I’m about. I am pleased that I’ve designed<\/a> it to do what I wanted it to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What breakthroughs have you created for yourself?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I enrolled in BASB, I was excited about learning new skills, restructuring and refining my PKM system, improving my workflow and boosting my productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I heard Tiago say \u201cThe point of having a PKM system is to help you effectively execute on your projects and bring them to life.\u201d<\/em> on the very first call\u2026 I immediately shifted my focus and intention from learning<\/em> to creating<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What new abilities have you developed?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Websites used to take me ages to complete. I have built numerous websites in the past for my businesses, but I’ve never done it this fast from scratch. This is a personal best to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPREFACE<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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Accountability Partner<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Desired Outcomes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3-5 April: Researching, Note-Taking, Thinking and Planning Phase (3 days)<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Webpage Builder Research<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Criteria 1: Easy To Learn and Simple To Use<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Criteria 2: Flexible Enough To Design The Way I Want<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Criteria 3: Solid CMS (Content Management System)<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
FINAL DECISION<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
December 2020 UPDATE<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
March 2023 UPDATE<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Styles and Elements Research<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"My](\"https:\/\/jenkuo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2020-05-02-Website-Map-in-Plectica.png\" "\\"My")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThinking and Planning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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6-18 April: Building, Designing and Writing Phase (13 days)<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Building and Designing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Important Note about Logos<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Writing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
17 April: Accountability Publishing Deadline<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
19-25 April: Newsletter Integration and Additional Writing Phase (7 days)<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
26-29 April: Analytics, Tracking Setup and Refining Phase (4 days)<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The Result<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1 May: Project Completion & Case Study<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Website](\"https:\/\/jenkuo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/2020-06-23-Website-Project-Plan.png\" "\\"My")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFocus = Speed of Progress<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What I Learned<\/h3>\n\n\n\n