Author: House Panther

Last night I was trying to be productive and work on a website for my business. What I thought would be a relatively easy and straightforward task turned out to be an undertaking. I have a new found respect for competent web designers. I tried to use AI to help and it was a disaster. ChatGPT and Claude are still curiosities at the moment.

So I need to take a step back and do some manual research. I have to look at other websites for ideas and examples. Then I have to figure out how the UI and UX experts implement something so eye pleasing and cohesive. My original goal was to have a minimally viable launch by April 15th and it might not happen. I’m still going to shoot for that however.

At least in this journey, I am learning how AI won’t fix a process that is broken. My current process is haphazard so I need to look at it more linear-logically versus circuitously. When it comes to design for electronic UI/UX, it can’t be done out of order. Since I cannot afford a web designer, maybe I need to look at something like Wix.

I am learning to utilize AI to help me design a website and it has been very helpful in doing so. I have the technology ability but I really don’t have design experience so I am creating this website in WordPress with the built-in Gutenberg editor. Say what you will about Gutenberg but it does lower the barriers of entry for entrepreneurs getting something up and going.

While using AI actively, I am learning how to ask questions and break down a process to small details. I am not asking AI to do everything for me. Instead I am using it to augment my own critical thinking and it’s actually helping me. ChatGPT has made recommendations for things like color palettes, design layouts, fonts, gradients, and more; ideas I would not necessarily come up with on my own.

I got it! AI is a great brainstorming tool. I balance using ChatGPT with a regular internet search engine. If I only know vaguely of what I want, ChatGPT makes the search more natural and human. If I know exactly what I want, I use an internet search engine to dial it in. Both tools help me to teach and better myself. Now that I have a strategy to build out a website, it’s only a matter of diggin in.

Tonight there should be plenty of time for me to make even more progress. I am looking forward to it.

Sometimes the best laid plans do not quite workout. I wanted to make progress on my website. Instead, I got distracted by an SSL error which was annoying. I still haven’t solved it for what that’s worth. Since I am doing development on my local machine, I don’t think I really need SSL anyways so I’ll just make it regular old HTTPS.

I will probably work more on my website this afternoon at my desk instead of my laptop. I don’t quite know what got completely fouled up and I don’t really care at the moment. I just want to make more progress.

With the help of “evil” AI, I have made some progress on the design of my business website. I have the typography, color palette, and a custom gradient defined. I’m happy that I accomplished this in an hour’s time. I joke about evil AI but it was so helpful in overcoming the mental block that I had.

I’ll continue my work on it bit by bit in fits and spurts. I’m going for a minimally viable launch at the moment. The work I did gives me some confidence that I can actually pull this off so I feel good. Oh and I forgot to mention that I started working on the site header. Watching things slowly coming together is encouraging.

I’ve discovered that I’m best in working with intensity in spurts. Since tomorrow is April 1st, I’m setting a goal of April 15th to have a minimally viable launch. That’s two weeks. I’m aiming to average 1-2 hours a day on it for the given time frame. I’m determined not to let perfect be the enemy of good/progress. It’s amazing how much can be completed in a good day.

I would like to see the header and footer come together in these next few days. That would make me feel even more encouraged.

I slept so well last night! I think it was legitimately because of a high dose of THC. I slept straight through the night. Everything feels so peaceful and relaxed. I know what I did was merely a bandaid for a gaping wound that major depressive disorder is but I needed relief. And I just realized that this is maladaptive. 😬

I really want to get more of the benefits of meditation so I don’t rely on substances. I know I have to walk very carefully here. I could use THC short term to help with some of the benefits of meditation. I know the ancients experimented with substances to augment or help people struggling with concentration.

I feel strangely motivated and positive today. It’s a good feeling. Since I feel motivated and I dare say creative, I will tackle some work on the website for my business. Even if I just work with AI to help get ideas, I’ll consider it a success. I don’t need a large bar to success here. I’ll be satisfied with any progress.