When’s the best time to start?

“Is it okay to launch a site on a Monday? What if something bad happens?”

“How long does it take to learn how to do ‘this web stuff’?”

“I’m not really a computer person, but I gotta start learning these things.”

I get these questions a lot when I start working with any new client or project. They all revolve around time and possibility. How long does it take? Can I do it? Just like with anything else, it takes as long as it takes, and, for part two, ‘yes’, you can do it.

It’s easy for me to compare this to starting any kind of weight training or fitness regimen. When you start, especially if you’ve spent years on a chair and behind a desk, there’s going to be some pain involved. You’ll also want to quit. Everyday you’ll want to quit. Excuses that sound really legitimate come up and tell you why there are other things more important to do. Besides, what’s the use of running around the neighborhood or picking up iron dumbbells and putting them back down? Over and over again?

You know the answer. There’s a payoff. Eventually the iron and the fitness becomes part of you. Just like your new technology talents. You’re not a pawn being held hostage by the web guy that doesn’t return a call. Suddenly the idea of an organized calendar, notes that don’t get lost, and email hasn’t rotted in your inbox isn’t just fantasy. Your information is connected, and routine tasks are automated & streamlined. Your runway is clear and the infrastructure is there to do big things. You can lift a whole lot more than when you started, and that’s when things start to click.

But, yeah, it takes some time, work and practice. Oh, and it might hurt at first.