Create or not to create a personal website!?

Press play & enjoy listening to the article ;-)

Published: 9.2.2023 | Written & Narrated by: Lukáš “Lucky” Dušek

Another regular Monday morning:

Colleague: How was your weekend?

Me: I stayed at home cause I got ill. Hmm, and I've created a personal website for myself.

Why create a personal website?

Do I need one? Is it worth it? What will I put in there? Can I even make it by myself? How much time & effort will it take? How much it costs? Will others make fun of me? Will others even care?… It's quite amazing how creative our minds can be just before we make that decision. And if we do, it is almost certain that the second barrage comes before the first step.

And that's why I want to share with you my why ;-).

For me, it started as a solution to the question: How the hell will I make myself write regularly?

Maybe I went overboard with it. But, it contains the main ingredients for creating long-lasting habits: carrot and stick; inner and external drivers; pull and push. To be more specific:

• First: I love to create, build and watch those creations grow.
• Second: It is a public commitment. And, for it is public, it will force me to push & refine myself.

And as this idea presented itself, I just went for it. This time I was lucky for it happened so fast, that my mind had no time to be creative by coming up with a myriad of worries & doubts. And I was able to channel its creativity where it belongs, to create. To be completely honest, I do not even care to count how many times I wanted to create a website before and end up doing, well, nothing. But, not this time. This time it was different, maybe because I saw it as a solution to one of my current challenges, one of my current needs. (Just, something to think about!?)

While I was figuring out How to quickly and easily create a website and then actually developing it (Which I'll share soon, but as a little teaser, I built it with Notion.so and Super.so). I have discovered more and more reasons why it was a good decision.

1. Learn new skills and Amp up your creativity

If you have previous experience with building a website or not, while doing so, you will definitely expand your skills. Skills, that will serve you well in this digital world. At the same time, it allows you to practice and express your creativity and display your artistic skills. You can create a space where functionality meets art.

2. Creating a personal online presence

Creating a personal website is an important step in establishing an online presence that can help set you apart from other professionals in your field. It can also be used to demonstrate your technical skills, and make it easier for potential employers, clients or partners to find and contact you.

3. Building credibility by sharing

Additionally, it can increase your credibility by not only allowing you to showcase your work, but it gives you the opportunity to share your ideas, knowledge, projects, story and journey with the world. Plus, you get the satisfaction of knowing that you've created something that you can be proud of and that you can use to further your career or other goals.

4. Establishing new connections and presenting new opportunities

It is a way to establish genuine connections with other people, expand your network, amplify your reach, and cultivate an active following. It also offers an opportunity to connect with important industry figures and other professionals. All of these connections can at any time present you with new opportunities, which would be otherwise hidden from you.

5. Make a commitment to write regularly

The solution to How to stay dedicated to your writing practice, hone your writing abilities, receive constructive feedback, monitor your progress, and build enthusiasm. With a website, you give yourself the incentive to stay committed to your craft and take pride in your accomplishments. With the right tools, guidance and a bit of luck you can set yourself up for success and make a real impact with your writing.

6. Create income

And last but not least, if you provide value to others, it can give you the means to monetize.

These are just a few and I think that everyone can find their own good reasons for creating a personal website. As I look at it now, I say it was long, long overdue. And I would like to reframe the initial question to When to create a personal website? And the answer: Best time was yesterday. And the second best time is today. So just do it. And if you are quick enough the doubts & worries will stay behind.

As for my "Pilot Article," I'll end here... With the feeling that much can be improved and with the excitement to jump on another ("Why write regularly in the first place!?"), and…

Call to Action:

Make today a first step: Find your good reasons why to create a personal website and of course, do not forget to act on it ;-)

Credentials & Resources

Here you can find additional resources to go deeper into this topic, inspirations and people that I draw from or got inspired by: Book:

Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon (Audio version: The Steal Like an Artist Audio Trilogy)

Software:

notion.so - Notion is a freemium productivity and note-taking web application developed by Notion Labs Inc. It is offering many organizational tools including task management, project tracking, to-do lists, bookmarking, and more

super.so - Create a website in less than a minute that’s easy to manage and looks great, with instant page loads, SEO optimization, and no-code. All your content stays in Notion so you can focus on creating while Super handles the rest. Template: Ascent