Month: August 2016

How I Manage My Time & Still Have Some ME Time!

~ ocdrnbeauty ~ Leave a comment

The summer has been amazing! I was only taking two courses for my PhD and I wasn’t teaching. So I really took advantage of my free days by napping, going to the pool, and relaxing. But now it’s time to go back to work and focus on being productive. I am expecting a seriously busy work and school year. I will be working on my competencies for my PhD, teaching and coordinating a course of 120 students, and going to the hospital one day a week with students. Plus, all my other commitments: committee work, this blog and my YouTube channel, my family and home, and so much more! So here is how I manage my time to ensure my house stays clean, I’m on top (and even ahead of my work), and still have time for fun things, like my blog and spending time with my family.

I live by my planner, which is by Kiki K and is an A5 size. It is where I keep my To Do lists, my weekly and monthly spreads, and my lists for blog posts and videos. It goes with me almost everywhere. I also like to keep post-its, a pair of scissors, and these Paper Mate pens (multi-color pack I have is from Wal-Mart) in a pouch in my bag. (Check back next week for a What’s in My Work Bag video!) I like to have post-its to write notes, reminders, and place on dates in my calendar before I formally write in the task.

While I am not a huge planner decorator, I do use washi and functional stickers to help plan. I like to plan out my month with my known meetings or tasks. I also write it down as soon as I have it scheduled so I don’t forget. Then each week (usually during the weekend) I plan for the week ahead by turning to my weekly spread and planning out my days.

I like to plan out each day with the basic necessary tasks, such as meetings, appointments, and household tasks. This summer I have created a cleaning schedule that has really been working, and I am hoping it will work during the school year. So at the bottom I have my home section where I list my cleaning chores, laundry, and grocery shopping (basically anything household). Above this I have a daily To-Do list. I usually don’t fill this out until the day before or day of. At the top of the page, I have my appointments and meetings. This week I had meetings almost everyday all day due to pre-planning. So any day I don’t have an appointment, I place a Remember checklist where I write down the tasks that need to be completed that week. These tasks include work, home, and school items. I try to make this list doable. I don’t want to stretch myself too thin and still feel productive.

I also make my daily To-Do lists realistically. I can’t do everything, and I still like to have down time to watch TV, eat meals, and social activities. My goals include always taking care of my house and ensuring my work is done. So these are the tasks I make sure I do no matter what. A lot of my work can carry over from day to day, so I do divide up my tasks into segments that can be manageable in that day.

Another major tip I have is to make time for yourself. This allows you to have some peace and enjoy a part of your day. The time you allocate to this depends on your day and what you see as necessary to stay sane. For me, every evening I cut out some me time to do my skin care. I make sure I never go to bed with my makeup on and do my full ten step skin care routine to feel a little bit like a pampered princess. Other me time suggestions are doing a 20 minute face mask, giving yourself a manicure (or, go to the salon!), or reading a book or watching an episode of your favorite TV show. Whatever you need to slow down, relax, and prep for the next busy day.

I hope a look into how I manage my time helps you to take a look at your routine and improve your productivity. Let me know what your time management tips are!

Project 10 Pan | Update #2

~ ocdrnbeauty ~ Leave a comment

I haven’t done an update on my year long project pan in a long time…and I haven’t used up a lot since the last update in March. I am making progress on the non-makeup products, but I have forgotten about the makeup items. I have also decided to switch out two products for similar products but ones I actually enjoy using and use almost every day. Check out this post to see where I was in my last update.

I am completely done with the alba moisturizer (yay!) and am almost done with the Mario Badescu eye gel. I will probably finish this in the next week. The Aussie hair spray has just a few uses left as well. I have never had a hair product last so long! But to be honest, I don’t do my hair regularly. I only use it when I curl my hair, which is only about once a week. And I just hit pan on the Urban Decay Naked shadow (third from the bottom)! Now that I’ve hit pan, I think, with regular use, I can increase the pan steadily.

The above four products haven’t budged much. I really don’t reach for them since it’s summer. I really use Nars Ashes to Ashes and NYX Leather and Lace during the school year (which is when I work). It’s a really nice combo for work appropriate makeup. And I haven’t reached for brown eyeliner (this one is by Pixi) during summer. Nars Dolce Vita lipstick is a sheer wash of neutral color, but I have been gravitating toward bright lips this summer while I am not working. As you can see on the paper, the progress is minimal on these two products. As the school year starts back next week, I am hoping to get more continued use out of these products and continue to work on using them up.

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The last two products in this project were the ELF Mineral Pearls and the Body Shop’s Honey bronzer. I rarely reach for these and have products I like more. I don’t want to force myself to use products I don’t enjoy for the sake of using them up. So I decided to switch them with products I love and use everyday. These products are the NYX HD Translucent Finishing Powder and Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer (love love love this!!). My goal for these two products is to hit pan on both by the end of the year. I don’t think I’ll be able to use them up completely.

How are your project pans going? Hopefully, you’ve been more successful than me so far!

 

My Eye Palette Collection

~ ocdrnbeauty ~ 6 Comments

Even though, ironically, I have a sty and cannot wear eye makeup or my contacts until it clears. I wanted to share my eye palette collection with you. While some are limited edition or no longer available, I thought it would be neat to see what palettes I have and which ones I reach for the most. Thanks for watching!

Palettes Featured:

Wet N Wild: The New Romantics

Flower Beauty: Secret Garden

Physician’s Formula: Canyon Classics

ELF: Mad for Matte

Makeup Revolution: Redemption Iconic 3

Urban Decay: Naked 1

Urban Decay: XX Vice Reloaded

Too Faced: Sweet Peach

Stila: In the Light

Mac: Nordstrom LE (I think it’s warm neutrals)