I've never been big on automating, or using templates or anything like that either. I think the main reason is that it always seems like it takes longer to learn how to do the automating, than it does to just do it yourself. And then it still usually turns out wrong somehow. All my sites were pretty much made from scratch. I don't really change my sales site that much. But my other sites with some advertising are very content heavy, and I find it is very draining whenever I add stuff to them now. They've suffered because of that. Mainly because I'm stuck doing it manually now, because that's the way they were started. I'm sure there's geniuses out there that could figure out how to automate new content creation on my sites and have it match the existing stuff. But that's not me. I could figure it out, but then that goes back to my first comment.

Frankly, I think a lot of the web looks really boring now... mainly because people really don't put much thought into sites. They just pick some generic creation app or something and call it a day.

I don't know... I guess it all comes down to time. There's never enough of it. But I don't think taking a personal interest in your work is ever a bad thing. You might be making your life harder, but I think there's a payoff at some point. I personally believe my sales site is way more interesting than most sales sites out there.

You make some very interesting points. I've never considered it like that. I just always thought I wasn't being as productive as I could be with my time. Recently though I've been making re-usable classes so it's a lot easier for me to deploy things quicker, and apart with some issues with mysql,php and stored procedures I'd have most of the database side complete is well.

I agree with the final point though, I guess it does all come down to time and that's what agitates me at the moment. I still work the 9-5 so it's a case of only working on my projects in evenings/weekends. I guess that's why sometimes I don't feel productive as it would be easier for me to use a solution to get going now. But ultimately I should try to remain focused on the long term goal then a short term gain.

I've automated only when the client (and depth of product) requires it. Else all is done hands on. And those do much better. Just my opinion.

The way I look at it... I see a resurgence happening in 'mom & pop' stores. But they just don't actually have a store anymore. The web and super stores may have done many of those in. But I think there can be opportunities for them again on the web. I think many people are becoming disillusioned with big corporations... super stores... Basically that cold impersonal approach. I think many people are realizing that getting something at the lowest possible price does come with a cost. It's really no different on the web. You can easily tell who is just cranking out stuff for the lowest possible price, and who does more than just that. So as more businesses compete online, I think the thing that will distinguish them more and more, is the site itself. It's pretty easy to tell who really puts effort into their site, and who just does the bare minimum. I have tons of extra content on my site. Things that help people figure things out. Things that are more recreational that people can enjoy. That brings traffic and shows that we're more than just a sales site. And that's something that the cookie cutter retail sites don't have. What's funny is... I actually get drop ship type retailers referring customers to me for accessories, because they don't even have the knowledge to know how their own products work.

I think it may take longer to build a biz based on your actual capabilities, rather than following all the search engines tricks and everything. But I think it might be a more solid customer base in the long run. People will tend to be more loyal to someone that actually offers them a human touch. It's too easy for people to walk away when it's just some big faceless robotic site. They'll just go to whoever is cheapest.

I still work the 9-5 so it's a case of only working on my projects in evenings/weekends. I guess that's why sometimes I don't feel productive

About productivity: as you only have limited time to work on your projects, I would make it a point to see and value the small accomplishments/successes in site development and maintenance. Not everything has to be automated. Automation doesn't save time automatically. Tools need to be implemented, monitored etc.

Example: for one my sites I checked lead generation a few times per day (manually). Then I changed to getting an email notification on my mobile (saving time of unsuccessful checking) which made me only check after a real lead was generated (still wasting some time on unproductive work). Now I have Google Anaytics set up to send me a weekly email about all the events (leads in my case) and I only monitor that. Lots of time saved and site is not overautomated with scripts etc that can break and you don't have to worry if the script is running or not.

And regarding evenings/weekends: don't forget that you have a life :)