Merrily We Go

Getting absolutely everything done

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How to get ready in five minutes and still look good:

1. Put on a moisturizer good for your skin

If you have dry skin, put on that moisturizer. If you have acne, put on an oil-free lotion and this will make your skin absolutely glow. Even if you don’t have any skin problems, put on a good moisturizer that makes you glow and doesn’t make you break out. Finding the right moisturizer can take time but give it time and you will find the perfect product for your face. 

2. Put on a lipstick with a liitle more color than neutral 

Neutral lipstick will make you look like a ghost if you’re not wearing bolder eyeshadow or blush. Red lipstick will also work, but when I’m in a rush I wear a mild pink. 

3. Put on one color all over your lid of light-brown, matte eyeshadow

I use Clinique Nude Rose. When I went into Carson’s (a Michigan department store) I was looking for a slightly purple, nude color since I have green eyes.

This works perfect for me. If you have blue eyes, a more-grey shade is for you. if you have brown eyes, brown is for you. If you have hazel eyes, you can basically wear any neutral shade you want so have at it. 

4. Brush on mascara

5. Put out 2 or 3 outfits the night before

I always change my mind on what outfit to wear when morning comes and outfit planning the night before becomes pointless. So, I like to set out two or even three possible outfits to minimize piece-changing. 

6. Brush hair into a ponytail

7. Spray whole head with hairspray

8. Have a cup of coffee

 This awakens your skin and brightens your eyes. 

Get ready to attack!

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First step: Bullet journal-ing

So one way I’m organizing my life is writing and illustrating all of my lists. 

Here are things I journal:

10 Easy-to-add-to bullet journal lists

The month ahead

a week-day calendar

holidays 

birthdays

fitness goals

saving

other goals

monthly inspirational quote

This makes taking on everything you want to accomplish, at least in the next month, seem more manageable, Having all things-to-do on one/two pages makes the coming month more exciting, for one, and it also gives you an opportunity to space out different goals in alignment with your more important schedule. 

Deals in-store/online that you will take advantage of (before they expire)

OR a list of money-saving websites, there’s a lot of them

Just to give a few: honey, Groupon, RetailMeNot

Tips and Tricks 

Currently my “Tips and Tricks” list consists of “Use coupons for online shopping” “Don’t go run in the snow,” how to blow my hair dry and “Take pictures without flash” because the flash makes anything to do with life look disgusting. But it’s in orange and has stars before each tip and I see it whenever I flip through my journal. Like I said, if there’s something you want to remember to do to make your life more manageable, this is a great list to start.

Things I want

Since I’m broke, mine is mostly beauty products I need and clothes. But this can be fun if you print out clothes you really like and make a spread of a potential wardrobe. I find it’s more convenient to list things you actually might acquire someday, instead of just “a mansion” and “a hot tub.” Goals help reach goals!

Next season wardrobe list and places to buy said wardrobe

Seasons change and so does fashion. I don’t care how many classics you have, you are going to buy new shoes or new whatever next season. To save money, make a list of essentials you need, and you can add to it as you wish and only buy from this list about two weeks into the next season. This way, you will have added everything that could possibly be in season that you like and there will be no doubt in your mind that this wardrobe will last you until June, or, if you plan right, all the way until November. 

Monthly chores, needed cleaning supplies, and how you will reward yourself after you clean

This is so much more fun if you can go shopping for cleaning supplies and self-pampering for the self-care you will receive afterwards. One chore I really dread is cleaning the kitchen floor: it has dirt, old food, and a nasty rug on it. But afterwards, I am going to light a nice-scented candle, give myself a manicure-pedicure and facial, do yoga, and meditate, focusing on how I am feeling and that will be that I feel fantastic. 

Things to do next (or this) season

For example in the summertime go to the pool, go to a baseball game, make a pie, go on a bike ride, and take a trip to the nearest waterpark. These are also things to be saved up for, so making a list and a saving plan is another thing to put in your bullet journal. Or the list can be for this season. Winter, for instance. It can be rough and making a list of fun things to do can lighten the season. Snowmobiling is on my list (woohoo!)

Progress towards a goal + things to do to reach that goal

This one is fun. You can make an illustration that you color a little bit every time you reach a milestone. There are a bunch of inspirations on Pinterest that you can find, just search “bullet journal trackers” and, though some pages of a lot goals will come up, a lot will be reaching for a few. The same illustrations are also useful for building habits, like 21 days until I take vitamins daily. Mine is how far I can run. 

Week ahead page

grocery list

events (birthdays, doctor appointments, haircuts, etc.)

the weather, because the weather changes ALL PLANS

what you’re going to do in the evening

notes

accomplishments from the week before

how much you spent each day $

Same as the month-ahead page: all your goals are in one place, organized into a timely fashion for each. Also, it micro-manages your time. For example how often do you just spend hours doing basically nothing? On your week ahead page, schedule time for your favorite TV shows, favorite hobbies, and progress towards your goals, and write down things you should not do- also helpful.

Finally,

Illustrate it!

I’m not creative AT ALL but there are so many design and prettify ideas online. I just do my best and the pages end up looking good. And the pages are much more pleasing and easier to look at when they have nice corners and pictures on them. And if you absolutely cannot draw, try printing out cool pictures online that are cute and tape them into your bullet journal. I plan on taping pictures of my accomplished goals into the corresponding pages. 

Note: my school and work planner is different than my bullet journal. I’ve already timed out all my exams in later calendars, and I don’t want to write it all out again in a different book. But if you don’t have a planner yet I highly recommend one, and you can write everything in it. 

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One Fail At A Time: Jam-filled cookies

Recipe here: GirlsDish 

I’ll eat some for breakfast, definitely. There’s fruit in the reserves, so at least there’s one healthy aspect. Plus I didn’t add any glaze so there’s less sugar. One thing that was a little less than healthy, though, was the I used grilling spray instead of parchment paper. I feel like grilling spray won’t even work as well as Pam. 

I didn’t use enough butter, because I didn’t have it. But note, butter is definitely a crucial ingredient in keeping the cookies moist. I added probably twice the amount of vanilla and they are delicious. Consider, is any amount of vanilla really too much vanilla? 

My oven is crazy but you might still need to bake them longer than 15 minutes, which is what the recipe says. 

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About me

I’m super organizing my life: I’m keeping a bullet journal, logging my running progress, and I’m doing all my homework (for school, literally). I’m in school. It’s pretty hard, but I know it’ll prepare for the real world and yeah it’s really hard. I’m also broke - like all the time. I make recipes with things I already have in the fridge most of the time, and I’m planning on buying a five-pack of white tee shirts and one pair of shoes to make my spring wardrobe. But it gets worse: a few things on my “Things I want” list are nail polish, a nail file, and bobby pins because I don’t have any of those things. I just moved out of my parents’ house, where I would use their nail polish, razors, food, etc. So yeah, in order to buy the things I want and run a half marathon AND quit smoking I’m gonna have to be super focused.

This is my journey.