1. Planning Your Website

Defining the Purpose

The foundation of a successful website is understanding its core goal. Is it to sell products, provide services, share knowledge, or showcase a portfolio? This clarity in purpose not only guides your design and development process but also helps in creating targeted content that resonates with your audience.

Target Audience Analysis

Knowing your audience is key to creating a website that appeals to them. Are they young tech enthusiasts, busy professionals, or hobbyists? This understanding influences not just the content but also the design, functionality, and overall user experience of your site.

2. Setting Up the Basics

Domain Name Selection

Choosing the right domain name is crucial as it forms the first impression. It should be memorable, easy to type, and reflective of your brand or content. Think of it as your digital identity that people will remember and search for.

Choosing a Hosting Provider

Selecting a hosting provider is like choosing a home for your website. Look for reliability, speed, customer service, and scalability. A good host ensures your website is accessible, fast, and secure. We love WPEngine for its customer support and high uptime.

3. Installing WordPress

Step-by-Step Guide

Installing WordPress can seem daunting, but it’s quite straightforward. Begin by downloading WordPress, uploading it to your hosting account, creating a database, and following the installation script. This process sets the foundation for your website.

Setting Up a Database

A database is where all your site’s data, including posts, pages, and settings, are stored. Creating one is usually a simple process, involving naming the database and assigning a user with specific privileges.

Navigating the Dashboard

The WordPress Dashboard is your control panel, where you manage content, appearance, and functionality. Spend time familiarizing yourself with its features, as it will be the central hub for all your site management activities.

4. Selecting a Theme

Importance of a Good Theme

The right theme not only gives your site its aesthetic appeal but also plays a crucial role in its functionality. Choose a theme that aligns with your site’s purpose and offers the flexibility you need. We prefer to build custom themes that meet your exact requirements, but there are good off-the-shelf themes. Be sure to consider the overall file size and choose a theme that is lightweight.

Free vs Premium Themes

Free themes are a good start for those on a budget, but premium themes often offer more advanced features, dedicated support, and regular updates, which are essential for a dynamic and evolving website.

Installing and Customizing a Theme

Installing a theme is just the beginning. Customize it to fit your brand’s identity, from colors and fonts to layout and functionality. This personalization makes your site stand out and reflect your unique style.

5. Plugins and Customization

Essential WordPress Plugins

Plugins are the building blocks of your WordPress site’s functionality. Essential plugins include ones for SEO, security, performance optimization, and social media integration. They add features and improve your site’s performance.

Customizing with Plugins

Plugins allow for extensive customization without needing to code. Whether you need a contact form, an SEO tool, or a fancy slider, there’s likely a plugin for that. But remember, less is more; too many plugins can slow down your site.

Plugin Management Tips

Keep your plugins updated and delete those you don’t use. Regular updates ensure security and functionality while removing unused plugins helps maintain a clean and efficient website environment.

6. Creating Content

Adding and Editing Posts and Pages

WordPress makes adding and editing content simple. Posts are typically used for blog entries and dynamic content, while pages are for static content like ‘About Us’ or ‘Contact’. Both offer different options for organizing and presenting your content.

Using the WordPress Editor

The WordPress editor is a powerful tool that allows you to easily add and format your content. It supports various media types and provides options for layout and design, making your content engaging and versatile.

Best Practices for Content Creation

Quality content is key to engaging your audience. Write clear, concise, and engaging copy. Use multimedia to enhance your message, and organize your content for easy navigation. Consistency and quality are crucial for building and maintaining an audience.

7. Managing Media

Uploading and Managing Images and Videos

WordPress’s Media Library is a centralized place to manage all your images, videos, and other media files. It’s important to keep this area organized and ensure all media is optimized for the web.

Image Optimization

Optimizing images is crucial for website performance. Large image files can slow down your site, negatively impacting user experience and SEO. Use tools to compress and optimize images without losing quality.

8. SEO and Marketing

Basics of WordPress SEO

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is vital for getting your website noticed. Use keywords effectively, optimize your meta descriptions, and ensure your content is high-quality and relevant. For more advise on how to optimize your website, check out the Go Fish Digital blog, or sign up for our newsletter.

Plugins for SEO

SEO plugins like Yoast SEO guide you through optimizing each page and post. They help in adding meta tags, creating sitemaps, and offering suggestions to improve your site’s SEO.

Social Media Integration

Integrating your website with social media platforms can significantly enhance its reach and engagement. Use plugins to add social sharing buttons and connect your site with your social media profiles.

9. Security and Maintenance

Keeping WordPress Secure

WordPress’s popularity makes it a target for hackers. Keep your site secure with strong passwords, security plugins, and regular monitoring of your site’s health.

Regular Updates and Backups

Regularly updating WordPress, themes, and plugins is crucial for security and functionality. Also, implement a backup solution to protect your data in case of any mishaps.

Dealing with Common Issues

Be prepared to handle common website issues like broken links, or update errors. Knowing how to troubleshoot these problems will save you time and stress. The good news is that if you encounter an issue, there are a ton of helpful resources online related to WordPress.

10. Advanced Customizations

Introduction to WordPress Coding

For those who wish to dive deeper into customization, learning basic HTML, CSS, and PHP can open up a world of possibilities. This knowledge allows for fine-tuning and creating custom functionalities.

Custom CSS and Child Themes

Use custom CSS and child themes to make advanced visual changes without affecting the original theme. This approach ensures that your customizations are preserved during theme updates.

Using Page Builders

Page builders like Elementor offer intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces for creating custom layouts and designs. They are a good option for those who want to design unique pages without delving into code. Like any page builder, they can add bloat to the overall website, and we’d recommend avoiding them when possible.

11. Analytics and Improvement

Setting up Google Analytics

Google Analytics provides insights into your website’s traffic and user behavior. It’s a powerful tool for understanding how visitors interact with your site, which can inform your content and marketing strategies.

Interpreting Visitor Data

Analyzing visitor data helps in making informed decisions about content, design, and functionality. It allows you to see what’s working and what needs improvement, guiding your website’s evolution.

Continuous Improvement

Website creation is not a one-time task but an ongoing process. Continuously updating content, improving design, and staying abreast of the latest web trends are crucial for maintaining a relevant and successful website.

12. Conclusion

In this guide, we’ve scratched the surface of the essential steps in building a WordPress website, from planning to maintenance. Remember, the journey doesn’t end with the launch of your site; it’s an ongoing process of learning, growing, and adapting. And, if you need more guidance or want to hand the process over to a team of experts, Go Fish Digital can handle your website design and development needs.

Building a Custom WordPress Website: A Comprehensive Guide is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

If you’re in the market for an SEO agency, it’s important to find a team that can deliver results for your business. To make sure you choose the right agency, it’s essential to ask the right questions.

Almost everyone will ask the same basic questions or some version of them. Those can include:

• What’s your approach to SEO?
• Do you specialize in any particular industries?
• What is your pricing structure?
• How often will we meet?
• Will you implement your recommendations?

Going deeper than the surface-level questions (which are still incredibly useful) will allow you to have a better understanding of how an agency operates and if they’re a good fit for your needs.

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Here are five SEO agency questions to ask a potential partner:

1. How do you tie SEO efforts to business impact?

A reputable SEO agency will ensure their work aligns with your business objectives, not just traffic increases for the sake of traffic increases. They will take the time to understand your goals and create an SEO strategy that supports them. The agency should be able to explain how their SEO tactics will help increase traffic, conversions, and/or revenue for your business.

2. How do you measure results?

Measurement is crucial to understanding the impact of SEO efforts. The agency should have a clear plan for tracking and reporting on key metrics. They should be able to explain how they measure success and what tools they use to do so. A good agency will provide regular reports and be transparent about its methods.

3. What do you need from the client to be successful?

SEO is a collaborative effort between an agency and the client. To be successful, the agency will need access to your website, analytics data, and other relevant information. However, one critical element is often overlooked – feedback. The best SEO agencies will prioritize open feedback from their clients to ensure the strategy is aligned with your needs. Additionally, prompt communication from the client can be a game-changer for success, especially if there are any unexpected changes to your business or website that the agency needs to know about. Finally, no on-page SEO efforts will be successful without timely implementation. Figuring out who will own implementation, and ensuring it’s done quickly and correctly will allow clients to see results faster.

4. How does your team stay up to date with the latest trends and information?

SEO is an ever-changing field, and it’s essential for an agency to stay up to date with the latest trends and information. The agency should invest in ongoing education and training for its team members. They should be able to explain how they stay up to date with changes to search algorithms and other industry developments such as AI.

5. What’s your testing strategy with SEO?

A good agency will use a data-driven approach to SEO and conduct experiments to identify what works best for your website. They should be able to explain how they will test different tactics and how they will measure the results of those tests. Testing can include A/B testing, user testing, and other methods. By testing and iterating, the agency can continuously improve your SEO strategy and drive better results for your business. Make sure to ask your potential SEO agency about testing and experimentation to ensure you’re working with a partner that uses a data-driven approach.

In conclusion, choosing the right SEO agency is a critical decision for the success of your business. It requires asking the right questions about SEO to gain an understanding of the agency’s experience, approach, and methodology. Additionally, you should ask about their measurement and testing strategies, how they stay up to date with industry developments, and what they need from you as a client. By asking these questions, you can better evaluate an agency’s ability to deliver results for your business. With the right partner, you can improve your website’s search engine rankings, drive more traffic, increase conversions, and ultimately grow your business.

What Questions Should You Ask When Searching for an SEO Agency? is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

I’ve been helping clients launch websites for about 10 years. And while that still makes me a bit of a toddler in Internet Years, I’ve seen enough to know that every launch has its challenges, and I’ve learned something new each time. But, some constants that I’ve seen across many of the websites I’ve helped launch have to do with SEO.

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Time and time again, I see “SEO” considered an afterthought and only allotted a small amount of resources or attention before websites are launched. I typically see people end up with a fully approved and functioning staging site who think the last step is to “flip the switch.” Even though that would great, that’s very seldom the case. I’ll walk you through some “must do” tasks before launching your new site. Ok, let’s get started.

Prepare your stakeholders.

The launch of a new website is typically the culmination of months of effort and cross-team collaboration. And once you have a “final” approved website, that’s not the end unfortunately, but rather the beginning. Before your site goes live, there’s still a lot to be done from a communications standpoint.

Websites receive traffic from a variety of channels, including these main ones:

• Organic (searches performed on search engines)
• Paid (clicks on paid ads, on search engines, or social platforms)
• Direct (someone typing in your domain name)
• Referrals (visits to your site from a link on another site)

The volume of referral and direct visits aren’t likely to change, assuming your website has 301 redirects set up properly (more on that in a minute). Organic traffic is the channel at the greatest risk of decline following a site change, and that should be conveyed to the site’s key stakeholders prior to launch.

Think about how websites are structured. There’s HTML, CSS, usually some JavaScript, third-party tracking codes, assets like images and videos, etc. Even if you’re “only” updating the appearance of the site and all the content remains the same, the code is going to end up looking wildly different. And that’s important to keep in mind because that’s how Google and other search engines process your webpages.

Knowing and understanding that even a minor or simple redesign is going to potentially have a big impact on organic site performance is critical. I always tell clients to expect a period of up to 4-6 weeks of potential traffic decline to allow for Google to recognize that there’s been a change, understand the change, and update its ranking of pages accordingly. During this period of re-understanding and re-indexation, it’s not uncommon to see traffic declines. Unless user testing was completed as a part of the design process, it’s also possible to see conversion declines. That can be a tough pill to swallow after spending five or six figures on a new site.

As SEOs, we can take steps to mitigate those losses.

Prepare your site.

So, how exactly can we ensure that organic traffic rankings hold steady or even improve? There are a number of items that are great starting points.

Using a crawling tool like Screaming Frog to perform a site crawl.

Look for pages that are missing key SEO elements like title tags, proper heading hierarchy, canonicals, etc. Fix those issues first.

I’ve seen sites almost go live with every single one of the product pages labeled as “Product Page” instead of having a unique title tag. Even if Google kept the page in the exact same ranking position, the click-through rate is going to plummet as “Product Page” is not exactly compelling. Read more about analyzing your site crawl.

Confirm that your 301 redirect map is in working order.

I like to plan a heuristic early on during the site architecture phase to map out existing URLs to their new and improved URLs, but inevitably during development, things change. You should make sure your 301s are still accurate and your implementation method is prepped and ready to go before you go live. A single .txt file utilizing Regex is my preferred method for redirect management.

Only URLs that are changing need to be a part of your 301 redirect plan. I’ve seen sites launch with /page/ redirecting to /page/ which will loop forever and never actually load. Not great.

Keep the same analytics tracking implementation if possible.

By keeping the same Google Analytics view on your new site, you’ll be able to more easily compare data and performance. Of course, if you’re changing URLs that makes the comparison more difficult, but not impossible. Having that historical data will allow you to point out month-to-month patterns, seasonal trend lines, and more to help you decipher what’s noise and what changes in performance deserve your attention.

If you must change your Analytics view, it’s not the end of the world. It’s far better than the alternative of forgetting to add the analytics script altogether!

Don’t sleep on schema.

If your site had schema previously, it’s a good idea to confirm it has been added to your new site. If your previous site didn’t have schema, a relaunch is a good time to add it in. Structured data markup is a way to add more context to your website and webpage content. At Go Fish, we prefer a JSON-LD implementation.

Google has a free structured data testing tool that will validate your structured data and show you any errors encountered. Read more about structured data in search.

Develop a need for (site) speed.

In a good scenario, your new website will have improved page load times because you’ve compressed all the images, offloaded large resources (by utilizing YouTube for video hosting, etc.), and written succinct code. In an ideal scenario, your site loads – on both mobile and desktop devices – in under two seconds. Google is crawling the mobile version of websites first, so it’s imperative the mobile experience is optimized.

With a launch earlier this year, we took the mobile load times of a homepage from 13 seconds down to two. We did so by removing the large video playing in the background, using SVGs (a next-gen image format), and most impactfully, custom-coding a WordPress theme on top of WP Core, rather than using a popular, off-the-shelf page builder. (You’ll think you want a page builder but resist that urge. They are bloated, frustrating for the site admin, and will cause you much more harm than good.) Read more about how to improve your WordPress page load times.

XML and TXT and WTF?

Alright, it’s acronym time! One of the very last checks you should do before you launch your shiny new website is to create a new XML sitemap and upload it to your robots.txt file. An XML sitemap is a list of all the URLs you want indexed by search engines. It helps crawlers understand and navigate your site architecture. And the robots.txt file ensures you’re allowing search engines to crawl your site and you’re including other allowed/disallowed directives.

First, generate the new XML sitemap, assuming your URLs changed. Then, reference the new sitemap in the robots.txt file. Lastly, submit your new sitemap to Google once the site goes live.

Speaking of after the site goes live, please, please, if you take away one thing from this post, let it be this – once your new site is live, check the robots.txt file to make sure the developer has removed this line (likely in place during development, added so that the staging site wouldn’t be indexed):

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

We’ve got an excellent post about how to create an XML sitemap if you need further guidance.

Prepare for Launch.

Now that you’ve properly set expectations and communicated them internally, addressed all of the bugs, and set critical SEO elements, you’re ready to launch your website. It’s time for a pat on the back, a round of drinks, and a nap, right? Not yet. Sorry. (Ok, you can have one celebratory beverage – I won’t tell.)

Here’s what you need to do to ensure the continued success of your website.

Map keywords to content.

If you’ve been paying close attention to your organic traffic performance, you’ve also hopefully been tracking the “MVP” keywords that bring in the bulk of that traffic. It’s time to keep a close eye on those keyword rankings and organic session data in analytics. If the content on your site changed. either through page consolidation or marketing re-writes, you’ll want to re-map the target keywords to their new pages or ensure they remain the same.

We’ve had great success in consolidating similar pages to create a robust guide about a particular topic and seeing rankings and performance increase as a result. Read more about keyword strategy.

Monitor, monitor, monitor.

Now that Google is starting to better understand the new site, keep an eye on analytics, rankings, and conversion points, especially in the early days. Analytics should give you a big-picture into overall organic traffic performance and seasonality, but also share some insights on the page level metrics. It’s not uncommon for a page or post to perform poorly and not quite recover. If that’s the case, it can be helpful to look at overall trend lines with that page.

Following a site launch that coincided with a confirmed broad core Google algorithm update, we saw two posts drop over 60% when looking at organic sessions before and after the launch. The posts received a large portion of the overall site traffic, so it appeared as though the entire site was performing worse than before, even though quote requests and other conversions were improved. Once we took out those two posts, organic traffic to the rest of the site was up 15%. We were able to focus on the two posts in question to improve their content and relevance and, in turn, rankings and traffic.

Communicate and pivot.

Lastly, it’s important to over-communicate performance to stakeholders before they start to worry. We know that site migrations and redesigns can be stressful, but we know not to panic as traffic starts to decline. We’ve seen the other side, and given time, we’ve seen the charts moving up and to the right. That being said, if you see performance declines remain for longer than 4-6 weeks, it’s worth taking a deeper dive into the data to determine the cause of the issues.

Congratulations!

Ok, now it’s time for a drink. Or maybe it’s time to start dreaming up version 2.0 of your newly launched site. That’s the beauty of a website – much like homeownership, the work is never done. Catch those cracks before they become huge foundation problems, and continue to make incremental changes to improve on the site you just built!

If you’re not quite ready to take on a site redesign or migration yourself, give us a shout. We’d be happy to partner with you on your website design and development needs!

Common SEO Missteps When Launching a Website is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

As leaders and PMs, we’re required to wear a lot of hats and juggle ever-changing project demands and challenges. We’re responsible for keeping track of tasks and deadlines, overarching client goals and project objectives, and even potential upsell opportunities. The work is never ending and it can even prove to be overwhelming at times if you want to be a successful PM.

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Another, albeit implicit, aspect of being a successful PM is knowing how to be the leader your team members need. I say this as a reformed people-pleaser, but I do believe that it’s valuable to be able to know what people need and accommodate that (to a point). On any given project, you’ll encounter different personalities and each will thrive under different parameters. People are going to have their own preferences and I think where we’re able, it is in the best interest of the team and the company (and ourselves) to adapt while keeping in mind future growth and scalability.

Defining a Project Manager

Finding common ground with your team members and meeting them where they are is an essential part of being a good leader and PM, but you can’t solely rely on emotional intelligence to do a good job. A great PM will marry both EQ and IQ, both relationships and tactics. And when I think about what it means to be a great, ride-or-die project manager and leader, a few traits come to mind. (Remember these words because I’ll circle back to them in a bit.):

• Reliable
• Organized
• Driven
• Adaptable
• Relentless
• Kind
• Informed
• Decisive

Alright, I’ve talked at length now about what makes up an adaptable and authentic project manager, but I’ve really only given you food for thought rather than actionable takeaways. So how do we adopt a flexible, adaptable approach to our projects and our team, without inadvertently hampering our own efforts? Here’s my short list of Don’ts that will hopefully help you answer that question.

1. Don’t fake it til you make it.

I’ve found that people can generally tell when you’re just going through the motions and not truly shifting to the demands of a new role, project, or challenge. If they think that you don’t know what you’re doing, it will be hard for them to trust your direction and judgment. My advice is to not only double down on research collection and dig into challenges but to also observe others. How do colleagues communicate with you, their coworkers, and their clients? How does your leadership interact with those same groups? While you’re finding those observations, look for a variety of industry role models and learn from their successes and shortcomings, and improve on them.

Armed with this data, you’ll be able to test different approaches and develop your leadership style without having to wing it. An added bonus to this is that you’ll be gathering data on yourself in the process, which quickly negates the need to “fake it.”

2. Don’t become unbalanced.

There are scores of personality profile tests out there, and most will offer the disclaimer that people generally don’t fit nicely into one box. Your true personality lies somewhere on a scale between two extremes. Similarly, think of your leadership approach on a scale that is completely closed off on one end with unfiltered openness at the other. You are naturally going to fit somewhere on that scale, but the goal is to nudge yourself in one direction or the other, depending on the circumstances. Now consider another, separate scale that goes from floundering and unfamiliar to knowledgeable and experienced. Again, depending on the topic or situation, you’ll naturally sit somewhere on this scale.

Now for some geometry. Imagine both scales intersecting where you effortlessly fit. It’s great to be confident in your role and clear in a project’s direction, but that’s not always going to happen. At some point in everyone’s careers, we’re going to encounter uncharted territory, whether it’s a new role, a different project type, or a difficult personality. During those times, both or your scales are sure to shift dramatically. But, if you’re simultaneously closed off and withholding information from your team or the client, the project is at risk of failing. So, when uncertainty does come your way, it’s important to find a balance between transparency and confidence and prepare to re-calibrate often. If you’re struggling with where to start, see item #1 above.

3. Don’t try to be perfect.

There’s an old saying attributed to Voltaire, “perfect is the enemy of good.” And you may have heard of the Pareto principle (or 80–20 rule) which states that usually 20% of the time is devoted to completing 80% of a task, and to complete the last 20% of a task requires 80% of the effort. As an aside, we use this principle a lot in our SEO efforts for client websites – it’s better to push live a handful of meaningful optimizations more quickly, and then spend additional time and energy developing a more in-depth optimization strategy.

This is applicable in leadership roles and adaptability, too. It’s far better to incrementally change your approach than to try to radically change your entire personality in one go. At the end of the day, we’re never going to be faultless. There will always be some small improvement or modification we could make, a situation we could have handled better, or a blindside we should have seen coming. Rather than let perfection paralyze you, do something, anything, to inch toward becoming the embodiment of a great project manager.

Channeling Authentic Adaptability In Your Life

Ultimately, true authentic adaptability all boils down to finding the specific intersectionality between who you are and who you want to be. Remaining true to where your abilities are right now, but being receptive to change so that you can become an improved version of your authentic self. Make a list of cornerstones you currently possess or aspire to, then work through the tips above to hone or craft them. Here’s mine:

✓ Listener
✓ Supporter
✓ Motivator
✓ Confidant
✓ Advocate
✓ Advisor
✓ Leader
✓ Friend

Above, I listed the traits a strong PM should have. But, they are just that – arbitrary traits. Anyone can be organized and informed, but when those traits are combined with authenticity and adaptability, they become meaningful to your life and work. Skills coupled with authenticity make up the cornerstones for leadership.

Remember, make small changes modeled after respected individuals and research, while simultaneously striving to maintain an ever-shifting balance. Above all, it’s important to remain true to yourself to find your authenticity. It’s a lot to juggle, but project managers and leaders have a lot of practice.

What’s on your list? Who do you want to be? Tell me in the comments – I’d love to hear your take!

Authentic Adaptability: Channel your Inner Chameleon is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

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A few decades ago, when the workday ended, people stopped working and went home. For the most part, people didn’t feel the need to get work done until they were back in the office the next morning. Instead, they spent time with their families and practiced self-care. Now that we have cell phones, laptops, and email, it seems nearly impossible to disconnect. And, for certain people and certain positions, having to be “always on” can easily cause burnout.

Generally speaking, PMs don’t have loads of time to stop, reflect, and carve out time for self-care. The nature of our work is that it never ends. We’re busy juggling the ever-changing plans of our days and weeks and projects. We’re pulled in multiple directions from clients and colleagues alike. While projects may wrap up when they launch, there’s likely another project on its heels. It’s easy to feel like if you work through lunch, reply to a few more emails before leaving, or plan strategy after your kids are in bed, then you’ll be able to catch up or even get ahead. In my experience, that never works, and I’m more tired the next day.

So, now that we know the problem, how do we fix it?

Request Balance

Talk to your colleagues at other agencies and inquire about their work-life balance – what are their employers doing to facilitate downtime and what can you bring back to your organization? Chances are, we can push for more balance from our own employers if it’s not already there. Here are some ways your employer can help you maintain an adequate work-life balance.

1. Ask to work from home part of the week. You might think that good project managers are all, or mostly, extroverted. At the DPM Summit, I was surprised to learn that the introverted/extroverted split was roughly down the middle. As an “extroverted introvert” myself, I love our work from home schedule. Working at home two days a week allows for that uninterrupted time to think critically about my projects, recharge in the quiet, and throw in a load of laundry at lunch.
2. Ask for professional development opportunities. At Go Fish, we are encouraged to seek out learning opportunities. Whether it’s an online course, a local meet up, or a multi-day conference in another state, taking some time away from your projects provides perspective and makes room for growth.
3. Ask for adequate sick and vacation policies. If you feel like you have to work through your fever and full-blown body aches, it’s time to ask why. Is that self-imposed, is there a cultural issue? Similarly, if you don’t feel like you can step away from your email and take a vacation, get to the root of the reason and work to solve it with your leadership team. (Tip: Asking “why” five times is a fantastic exercise to dig deep and identify the true root of the problem.)

Take Back Your Time

We are the only ones in charge of our time and there’s a finite number of hours in the day. Block off time on your calendar and don’t let anyone schedule on top of it. I will add “meetings” to my calendar to indicate to others that I’m not available – it’s one way I ensure I can accomplish priority tasks. These work blocks are only beneficial if you don’t continually move them or let others schedule meetings at the same time.

In that same vein, schedule meetings when it’s convenient for you. As PMs, we often schedule meetings when it’s most convenient for others, neglecting our own calendars. I’ve found myself squeezing a meeting in between others because it worked for team members, but that wasn’t helpful to me in the long run. It’s important to respect your time and take your schedule into account because it matters just as much as other people’s.

During one of the sessions at the DPM Summit, we were encouraged to look within and identify our “features” and “bugs.” Then we paired up with an accountability partner to ensure we’re taking steps to fix our defects. My defect is that I often work through lunch, so I’m taking steps to ensure that I step away from that habit and enjoy a nice meal and mental break. (Shoutout to GW for the lunchtime check-ins!)

Take Care of Yourself

Work-life balance is always shifting. What works one month might not the next. Seasons of life (like the birth of a baby or a big move) will impact that balance, as will evolving project priorities (like a compressed timeline or period of organizational growth). At a minimum, you should be addressing the basic survival stuff like getting enough sleep, drinking and eating well, etc. But, in your work life, there are ways to address your survival needs that aren’t so straightforward.

1. Don’t leave your vacation days unused. Your vacation days don’t have to be used all at once on one elaborate weeks-long trip abroad. In fact, it’s likely a better use of your vacation days to spread them throughout the year. Even if you have nowhere to go, spending a Friday at home catching up on a new Netflix show (or more likely, re-watching The Office for the 37th time), will help you return to work refreshed and ready.
2. Work in a positive environment. There’s a lot we can’t control about our work environment, but it’s important to take the time to connect with your colleagues. Buy a coffee for someone on your team and ask them about their upcoming weekend. Try to laugh through project problems and always make time to lend an ear. Enjoying the people you work with is, to me, as important as enjoying the work.

Takeaways

You can’t change everything all at once. It’s been said that your success rate of adopting a new habit grows smaller and smaller the more habits you try to build simultaneously. So, start small. What’s one thing you can do for yourself to help prevent (or tackle existing) burnout? I’ll go first.

At least one day each week, I will aim to eat lunch away from my desk. I will spend 20-30 minutes enjoying my food, without worrying about spilling sauce on my keyboard. The work will be there when I’m done.

Your turn. What will you make a priority? What’s one small thing you can change to avoid burnout? Let me know down in the comments. Also, let me know if you need an accountability buddy!

How Project Managers Can Avoid Burnout at Work is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

“Wait, what’s this have to do with project management,” you’re wondering. Well, not everyone has kids (yet or at all), but mine have taught me quite a few things over the years. A number of those lessons are surprisingly applicable in my everyday project management work and relationships with clients.

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I examined my tried and true parenting techniques. What works most of the time? What never works? Of course, with more than one kid something that works really well for one might not suit the other.

Below are my top four parenting lessons-learned that carry over really well to project management.

Preparation is key

I’ve always been a planner. As every type A person will tell you, time is of the essence! And as every parent will tell you, kids take approximately 362 times as long to do any basic task as it really requires. (Seriously, how long does it take to put on socks and shoes?!) I’ve learned to adapt to my schedule not being my own. What changes have I implemented to ensure I’m not running around late and forgetful everywhere I go?

I lay out clothes the night before: mine and both kids (my husband has to fend for himself). I make sure to have the diaper bag well stocked at all times with plenty of the necessities. You better believe there are also little “in-case-of emergencies” extras (like a rarely seen toy or book, bonus pacifier or snack). Every weeknight before I sit down for the evening, I make sure my little one has bottles and finger foods prepped ready for school tomorrow. I put my coffee cup under the Nespresso. Much like SEO efforts, every little bit adds up!

You never know what’s going to impede your efforts to get out of the door. Some mornings everyone wakes up on time, no one is hangry and no one spills an entire glass of milk on three people simultaneously. Those mornings are rare, but preparation helps me avoid any major departure delays.

To carry that practice over at work, I like to prepare for tomorrow’s meetings today. I write agendas in advance, make sure I’ve reviewed recent client news and blog postings, and have visited their website. Each day, I set up alerts on Google and ahrefs. I check in with team members before any meetings to make sure they’re up to speed on what they need to cover.

Research has shown that if you write down tomorrow’s to-do list before you go to bed, you’re likely to fall asleep faster. And the idea behind that makes sense. The more you’ve unloaded off your memory, the less there is for your mind to race through before settling into sleep. And remember, you never know what’s going to derail your efforts any given workday, so again preparation is key.

Scheduling Nightmares

Admittedly, my kids are preschool-aged and younger, so I’m not exactly coordinating school functions, sports practice, and events along with friend hangouts and family time. (But we did just sign up for soccer later this month.) Still, there are plenty of family calendars to coordinate. I can’t believe how many 3-year-old birthday parties my son has been invited to in the last year!

Don’t make a 2 pm appointment for a haircut across town when you’ll be at a birthday party until 1:30. You won’t leave on time (and don’t even try to pull your kid(s) away before the birthday cake) and you’ll be stuck hoping the salon is understanding and can squeeze you in when you show up well past your time slot. (Plus, it comes across a bit rude to not respect the appointment time.) We learned that one the hard way.

When planning out meetings, anticipate that things might take longer than you think they will. You may have a set agenda that should only take half an hour to work through, but that doesn’t allow for any naturally occurring feedback or discussion. Both are crucial to better understanding your client’s concerns, their industry and to building a positive relationship.

You’ll also want to give yourself some wiggle room when planning out project milestones. Key decision makers might encounter unavoidable hurdles that cause understandable (or frustrating) delays. Those delays can snowball and if you’re unable to get back on track, the entire project can suffer. Pad out the schedule, it’s always better to over deliver than fall short of expectations.

Communication Clarity

Clear, concise communication. It’s critical in preventing meltdowns. I’m no stranger to being on the receiving end of a toddler tantrum. However, I’ve learned that I can mitigate a good portion of those by clearly conveying my expectations. Kids don’t like change; they’re creatures of habit and love knowing what to expect. So, when you abruptly interrupt them to change gears, they’re going to push back.

Let’s say we need to leave the house in 15 minutes. Working backwards, that means we need to start heading toward the car in 10 minutes, meaning my son should begin putting his socks and shoes on in 5. (Remember, it can inexplicably take 5 minutes or more for a toddler to do any 30 second task!) If he’s actively playing and in 5 minutes I ask him to stop, he’s not going to be interested. I’ve given him no warning and he’s busy. If I give him a heads up, “Hey kiddo, in 5 minutes, we’re going to start getting ready to go, why don’t you pick one more thing to play with before we leave,” then he’s much more receptive to the change in scenery.

Every good PM knows that clear, concise communication is critical with clients. You must set up realistic expectations, track goals and tailor your approach client-to-client. Speaking of expectations, that includes pre-conceived notions or background knowledge. I expect that our clients have a general understanding of the topic at hand, but still explain the reasoning behind our recommendations. Even examining the language you use is helpful. For example, one of the services we offer here at Go Fish is broadly “content marketing” but more specifically, we execute “creative content campaigns.” The word “content” is fairly loaded, especially to marketers, so it’s very helpful to initially and continually clarify expectations and goals.

Some clients will be really receptive to constant communication in writing with regular calls, too – these clients don’t believe in over-communication. On the other end of the spectrum, some clients would rather not be bothered with the details. They outsourced the work for a reason. I don’t like to guess which method of communication a client prefers – it’s one of the first questions I ask.

At the end of the day, poor communication is going to be a factor in just about every negative client experience. Which is to say, I like to communicate early and often.

Scope

Ah, good old scope creep. We’re all familiar with it. When a client wants to add on one little thing here, and there, and over there too, and suddenly you’re managing an entirely different project. It’s important to remember the overall goal at the end of the day.

A couple of weekends ago we took the family to the Durham Life and Science museum. As my son was ever so carefully navigating the ropes in the treehouse area, I watched the backlog develop. Slowly but surely, a line of impatient little ones was forming behind my trepidatious kiddo. I apologized to one of the waiting dads near me and he said, “if we’re in a hurry today, we’re in the wrong place; today is all about fun.” And I thought that was such a great insight. I was focused on the details — my kid slowing everyone and everything down — but the goal of the day was to get out of the house and play.

Similarly, clients can throw you off your plan at any given turn. It’s important to step back and ask whether or not the requested change is going to affect the overall goal of the project. Once you’ve determined the impact a change of direction or delay might have to the overall project, you can more accurately plan your course of action. You can then adjust any schedules and clearly communicate impact back to the client.

Plan ahead thoughtfully, but be nimble enough to reassess and adjust. It’s easier said than done. But hopefully, some of the above tips will help you with your next project, at home or in the office.

Everything I know about Project Management I Learned from my Kids is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.