How it all starts

Every designer knows this feeling - you want to update your portfolio, but you are never able to muster the energy to do so. Even if you do, you are easily sidetracked by things that may not be important in the moment:

• "I want to make sure every case study is thorough and comprehensive" [+4 months]

• "I want to make sure every piece is pixel perfect" [+6 months]

• "I want the perfect font for my portfolio redesign" [+98 months]

If not, then this post might not be for you. If you do resonate with the above thoughts, then you are not alone. The only time I updated and paid attention to my portfolio was when I needed to find a job after my graduate degree, else I would not be living in this country.

Why does this happen

While everyone's mileage varies, over the years I have been trying to narrow down the reason why that design portfolio of mine is still unpublished and always a work in progress:

• I got too comfortable after I got the job I wanted/I started finding excuses like "My work is too hectic, and also my priority", "I don't have the time/energy at the end of the day"

• I felt the barrier to update my portfolio was too big - while I am still learning/growing as a designer, every time I saw my old portfolio it made me cringe, and I felt like I had to do a big redesign and create more complexity

• I got too inspired by looking at portfolios of amazing people I follow/admire, thinking I need to wait and do meaningful work first before I can even think of updating my portfolio and reaching that level

How to approach this

Despite the comfort, and challenge, it is always helpful to keep updating your website. With the current environment, you can never predict when things go south – all of a sudden your account is deactivated and you no longer have access to your hard work.

> Summarize everything, quickly

For every project you work on, instead of aiming for a comprehensive case study, summarize it immediately after its completion (I have found this template super helpful) and then cherry pick the ones you want to have on your portfolio later. Additionally, it may also help you reflect on each project as you work on it.

> Reduce the barrier

This might be most important one, but I cannot stress enough to pick one stack and roll with it. In the past I have loved designing, coding and doing everything manually, but I have also realized how quickly my definition of good design changes too. Picking something extremely simple to make, update, and release is imperative to give you that freedom to explore, but also not worry about the nuances. My favorite? right now its Framer, and I am in the middle of updating and migrating there myself.

> Inspiration in moderation

Too much of going through everyone's portfolio started to make me copy things, second guess my own stuff, and get a biased perspective on how I want my portfolio to look. It sounds corny, but your website should describe you - its your chance to tell someone about your personality without them even meeting you, so do you.

While not exhaustive, I hope this helps someone who is in the middle of updating their own portfolio because like everything we work on a daily basis– it will never be done, so keep adding, keep updating, and keep refining!