Excuses are boring (but shopping is not?)

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The title of this post comes from one of the mantras of Unfuck Your Habitat, a book that, in the greatest of ironies (not really), I have not got around to reading yet. Will it also help my unfuck my blogging, I wonder? How is it that I haven't managed to write anything in a week? WHAT IS TIME.

Excuses (the weather has been gloomy and my camera is mediocre and I don't have a good lighting set up and all my ideas require many photos) are boring. I'll try to hammer out an actual review later today.

Other than not blogging, I have also not been buying beauty products this month (except my Sephora Play subscription, which I signed up for last month). That's good, because I am still paying off all the vet bills from the last few months that I put on my credit card. (In happier news, we are now on the cat fostering list at our local humane society, so we should have a new kitty to look after before too long.)

However, my No Buy has not prevented me from monitoring sales, and it will not prevent me from alerting you to them. In my opinion, one of the best strategies for smart shopping is to put things you want on a list, and then when/if they go on sale, revisit the list to see if you still really want them. (Half of the time, in my case, the answer is no.) Doing this really helps me curb impulse spending. Of course, it doesn't work for limited edition products, but I'm not generally especially interested in those, anyway.

The big sale right now is Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty, and the most interesting deal of the day, in my opinion, is Too Faced Love Flush Blushes for half price ($13). I've read good things about them, and the embossing is very pretty, but I'm viscerally opposed to heart-shaped things. Not to mention that I have more than enough blush at the moment. You can see the whole calendar of deals here. Actually, most of the upcoming deals that look most interesting to me are blushes, like the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes, which will also be 50% off. I guess this is my anti-haul statement, then, because I don't need any of these and I'm not going to buy them (but I'm not about to shame you if this is the right time to pick up something you've had your eye on).

I also haven't abandoned my ancient beauty blog, btw--I just need to get my shit together.

So this seems like a good idea to ask for your best organization and motivation advice! I'm not someone who tries to fill every hour of the day with work, but I would love to avoid the panic of realizing a week has passed and I haven't done fuck all.

Getting Your Shit Together: Habitica

Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll on my last post! And thank you especially for the lovely comments. I didn't expect all the support, and it didn't occur to me that I would get that kind of response, but I really appreciate it. I have fun here. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

It looks like most people are into at least some content outside of beauty, so that's cool. There won't be a ton, but it's nice to know that when something occurs to me (like today), it will be welcome.

I thought I would write about a tool that's been helping me keep on top of things lately. As I get older and busier, I get way worse at remembering to do all of the things I'm supposed to do. I'm also not good at motivating myself, and a decade-plus in grad school did nothing to improve my self-discipline. I recently read this article from The Atlantic on procrastination, which notes:

"Across several categories including dieting, saving money, and sending important emails, we constantly choose short and small rewards (whose benefits are dubious, but immediate) over longer and larger payouts (whose benefits are obvious, but distant)."

That really explained to me why using Habitica (formerly HabitRPG), a site that a friend introduced me to, has helped me so much to get organized. I am more motivated by a trivial, instant reward (like a few pixels in the shape of a sword) than more important, distant ones (like career success). Seems sad, but it's apparently true, nonetheless.

As the previous name of the site/app/program suggests, Habitica allows you to set up your life as though it were an RPG where you get rewards, gain skills, and level up for completing real life tasks and improving your habits. It sounds pretty silly, but it's been helpful - and I say this as someone who was extremely skeptical when I started to use it. I've known for a long time that if I don't put something I have to do on a list and then check that list, it just fucking won't get done. And that includes everything from submitting job application to answering emails to paying bills or even flossing. This way I check off my lists and I get little bonuses for doing so.

In Habitica, you have three main lists: Habits, Dailies, and To-Dos. Habits are things that you generally want to do more or less often. Dailies are things you have to do at a specific time during the week, and that repeat. You could put your regular work schedule on there, for example, if there are tasks you have to do on certain days or at certain times. And the To-Dos list is made up of one-off tasks that you need a reminder to finish. That's pretty self-explanatory. You collect coins and other prizes (like pets - see my little red fox?) when you check things off your lists, and you can redeem the coins for rewards. The rewards can be either essentially meaningless virtual rewards like new equipment for your avatar, or real life rewards that you define for yourself. Maybe once you collect enough coins, you are allowed to buy a nail polish or get a massage or marathon Orphan Black. Treat Yo Self. Personally, because I have been trying to save money and most of the real life rewards I would have chosen cost something, I've just been going with the RPG based ones, and weirdly enough, they have provided sufficient motivation. I find myself wanting a new pixillated vest for my character, for some reason.

There are lots of other features, and you can even organize group quests if you have some kind of collaborative activity that needs motivation, but you can read about all that on the site. I mainly use Habitica in my web browser, but there is an app available as well.

I still have a long way to go to be as organized and motivated as I'd like to be, but using Habitica has been a major step in the right direction. I've never played an actual RPG in my life and I don't even play Facebook games. In fact, I'm not a big fan of games in general. But this works for me for whatever reason. It's worth a shot if you are anything like me. Best part: it's free!

Now I can check blogging off my Dailies list. And I should go take my vitamins.

Getting my shit together

I've been trying to organize myself this year, so far. Not really as a New Year's resolution, but it so happens that with the new year comes a slightly less horrendous, or at least more flexible, schedule for me, and so I am attempting to take advantage of that. One of my main goals is to sort out my apartment. I moved in August, but I didn't find time during the entire fall to completely unpack. I had a friend stay with me for a week in December, and I had to make her sleep on an air mattress in the living room instead of the spare bedroom/office, because that room was completely filled with boxes and bags of crap that I hadn't gone through since moving. I still haven't been able to put away all of that shit, but I did manage to clean off my desk, and now I have a work space that is not my bed or my couch. It's amazing how much more productive that has made me. When I sit at the desk, I actually get work done. It helps that it is in the corner facing the window, so I can't see the heaps of clutter that are still piled on the other side of the room - but I'm chipping away at those. At this rate, by the time I (likely) move out of here in the summer, I'll finally have everything sorted out.

Part of my process of getting my shit together involves ridding myself of shit I don't need and not acquiring additional shit. My biggest mass of hoarded stuff is my collection of (surprise!) makeup, nail polish, and skincare. Though I haven't set any strict goals for myself, I am trying hard to use things up and to discard things that I don't want to use. I just filled up a box with nail polish and makeup and posted an offer on Freecycle. Hopefully someone will take it off of my hands. I have a few nicer things that I just don't use, and I think I am going to try selling them to Glambot. (Anyone have experience selling to that site? I'm curious to hear about it.) I am also trying to use things that have been sitting around for a long time - not just makeup, but things like travel size bottles and packets of shampoo. I think I have enough of those hoarded at this point that I can probably go six months minimum without having to buy any shampoo or conditioner. I have been holding on to them, because they are useful for travel. I used to go overseas to do research, but I haven't done that in a few years. I have no idea when I will have secure enough employment to get research trips funded again, so there's no use keeping that shit around for who knows how many years. I can always buy more small bottles of hair products in the future if I need to (or save some empty bottles and refill them).

I'm also trying not to buy any new makeup for two reasons: to save money, and to use up some of the things I already have (original concepts, I know). I haven't bought anything so far this year, and I don't really foresee doing much makeup shopping for a while, though I am still regularly tempted. (Yesterday Nouveau Cheap posted that my favorite topcoat was on sale for $10, but by the time I saw it, it was sold out. So, yay?) I am still getting Birchboxes, since I paid for a year in advance, so I do occasionally have new little things to play with. But the lack of buying is one of the reasons this blog has been moving a bit away from reviews - though it never was strictly (or even mainly, I think) reviews. The other reason is that I don't have a lot of free time, and so I haven't been posting a lot of anything, obviously. I think I am going to be posting more things like empties and quick reviews of things I have had for a while, instead. I hope those are interesting for other people - I always enjoy them when I see them on other blogs.

If you're in a place where you are also trying to cut down on clutter and stop buying things you don't need and organize your space, there are of course lots of resources out there. It seems like everyone feels like they are failing at this - we can't all be, right? But here are some of the places I've found motivation or commiseration:

The Makeup Talk No-Buy Support Forum: There are lots of interesting conversations going on here from people who feel like they have too much makeup. Reading through these, you'll either feel like you've found your people, or you'll feel some kind of relief because it turns out that many other people actually have way more stuff than you do (I won't say which category I fit in myself). I've had fun in these forums. If you want to make some serious changes, there are lots of challenges and projects people are working on that you can take part in.

When Budget Beauty Starts to Hurt: This is just a short article about how quickly buying cheap makeup can add up (from The Billfold). Don't I know it. (Sorry if I have enabled anyone else's hoarding.)

Unfuck Your Habitat: This fits in the cleaning/organizing category. I totally knew about UFYH before it was cool, guys. And yet I haven't really used it - but I am still recommending it, because I know a lot of people who have found it extremely helpful. They have an app that is supposed to be great, too, and I think I am going to buy it soon and actually give it a go.

The January Cure from Apartment Therapy: I signed up for the mailing list and then immediately fell behind, because my schedule was too erratic (the downside of the "flexible" schedule I mentioned above). But the sequence of tasks is a good one, and I am thinking that I will try to work through them at a much (much, much) slower rate.

So that's just me rambling about my general goals and intentions. I have been doing pretty good so far. It's slow progress, but I am not increasing my hoard, my apartment is slowly coming into order. Today I pulled all the bags of old shoes and winter wear and curtains (?) out of the hall closet. They are still in a pile in the middle of the room, but they are my next mess to tackle. I've also found more time for cooking, which I really couldn't seem to do much of in the fall. That's been really good both for my budget and my health (I love my crock pot).

Anyone else on this same track? Any other resources or links to related stuff you'd like to share?

My DIY makeup storage desk (cheap, good for small spaces, and not at all Pinterest pretty)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

I have no problem at all with color-coordinated storage solutions or beautifully arranged and decorated vanities. I enjoy being in an aesthetically pleasing space, and I would do that all the time if I could, because it does something positive for my state of mind. I just don't happen to have those things right now. Instead, I have a practical hodgepodge of things that I use to store my makeup - and I love it. I think that this makeup desk, though simple, is one of the best ideas I've ever come up with. (Let's not explore what that says about the calibre of my ideas in general.) It's super functional and cost me almost nothing. Someday I'll probably get something prettier, but this works really fucking well for now.

So obviously this is not meant to be Pinterest-style decorating inspiration (though I will probably pin it). Instead, I thought I'd show you what I came up with to work in the tiny space I'm living in, using mostly materials I already had. It might help you come up with some ideas yourself - or, if not, you can be all, "Ugh, why would you post photos of that crap online? No one wants to look at that." That's fun too. You can even click on the photos to enlarge them if you want to judge more thoroughly.

Makeup storage/organization on HauteLook for $7-18

This one is $12.

Those lovely lucite organizers! I want them all. Though I have a pretty sweet makeshift system as it is (I'll take photos one of these days). There's also all sort of other organizational stuff for clothes, etc., and it seems really reasonably priced to me. Some of you are really into this shit, I know.

You need an account to browse HauteLook, so go ahead and use my invite link, if you like.