I optimised performance by deferring render-blocking resources and streamlining my external connections. I added the defer attribute to my jQuery and Lightbox2 script tags so they load in the background without delaying the initial page render. I also improved connection times by adding preconnect links for my external resources from code.jquery.com and cdnjs.cloudflare.com. Additionally, I modified the Lightbox2 stylesheet link using a media attribute trick to ensure it doesn’t block rendering. This should improve load times while maintaining functionality.