How I Built My Portfolio Website Without Burning Out

If you’re a developer, chances are you’ve started your portfolio site multiple times—and abandoned it just as often.

I’ve done that too.

This year, I finally launched sindhusolutions.com, my official portfolio, using Next.js. The difference this time? I kept it lean, focused, and realistic. I didn’t aim for perfection. I aimed for done.

“A working site beats a beautiful draft sitting on your hard drive.”
— Umar, from umar.press

Here’s how I pulled it off without burning out, and what I learned along the way.

---

🧠 Step 1: Set a Deadline (And Actually Stick to It)

I gave myself 1 week, but committed to launching in 3 days. Sounds rushed? It was. And that was the point.

I knew from past experience that when I had “unlimited time,” the site never shipped. This time, I created a plan in Notion, blocked three evenings, and treated it like a real deliverable.

⚙️ Tool: Notion

I created a task board with sections like:

• Pages to build

• Components to reuse

• Features to postpone

• Bugs/fixes

Keeping everything visible helped me avoid distractions and ship faster.

---

🔨 Step 2: Choose the Right Tech Stack

Since I was already building client projects using Next.js, I knew I wanted to showcase my skills with it. Static generation, image optimization, and routing are all built-in. Plus, it’s incredibly fast.

I didn’t need CMS complexity. The site is mostly static and content-light. So I kept it code-first.

🔧 Tech Stack Overview

---

📁 Step 3: Highlight Real Projects

No Lorem Ipsum. No placeholders.

I added 5 real projects, each explained clearly:

• What the project was

• What I did

• Stack/tools used

• Key results (if available)

• Screenshots with context, not fluff

Example Breakdown:

Project: EdTech Dashboard for University Client
Role: Full-stack dev
Stack: Next.js, Firebase, Tailwind
Result: Reduced internal tool usage time by 45%
What I Did: Built student insights dashboard, optimized queries, integrated real-time updates.

This kind of detail matters far more to clients than animations or parallax effects.

---

🧲 Key Sections on SindhuSolutions.com

Here’s the content structure I built (and recommend):

✅ Hero Section

Simple one-liner that makes your offer clear.
CTA: “Let’s build something that works.”

📂 Project Portfolio

Each project has its own dedicated page or modal with breakdowns.

🙋 About Section

Brief intro, focus on what kind of work I do and for whom.

📬 Contact Section

I kept it simple: email and Calendly link. No 10-field forms.

🔗 Optional Blog (Linked from umar.press)

I keep long-form content on my blog and only link highlights on the portfolio.

---

🧰 Productivity Tools I Used

Here’s what kept me focused during the 3-day build:

---

❌ What I Didn’t Waste Time On

Here’s what I deliberately skipped:

• Fancy scroll effects

• Advanced CMS integrations

• Newsletter setup

• Blog integration (that’s on umar.press)

“Don’t overbuild. Show what you’ve done. Make it easy to get in touch. That’s enough.”

---

🚀 Final Thoughts

Building a portfolio site doesn’t need to take months. My advice?

• Pick a stack you know

• Prioritize clarity over complexity

• Highlight real projects with real outcomes

• Set a deadline and ship

You can always improve it later—but until it’s live, it’s not helping you get clients.

“Launched and imperfect beats perfect and unpublished—every single time.”

---

🔗 Want to See the Final Result?

👉 Visit https://sindhusolutions.com