Go low maintenance

Save time while getting ready for the day

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to go low maintenance. Spend less time
getting ready so you can spend more time on what
matters to you now. I know that this podcast has

(00:26):
both male and female listeners, and many time issues are
the same for everybody. On the margin, though women tend
to spend more of the twenty four hours we all
have each day getting ready a today's show. A O
L survey found that women spend on average nearly an
hour a day on their appearance, dealing with longer hair,

(00:47):
make up, a wider variety of outfit choices, or maybe
nails for people who are into that can add up.
I know that a lot of people feel that putting
time into these matters is essential for being perceived as professional,
but I'd argue that this may not always be the case.
With more people working from home, and as we're going

(01:08):
fewer places in general, now is the perfect time to
experiment with going lower maintenance. You can see how things
shake out now. I am pretty low maintenance in general,
but I have spent the past few months going even
well lower. I realized the other day that I've used
my hair dryer and curling iron approximately half a dozen

(01:30):
times since March, before the pandemic. I thought that for
all video calls I should properly curl my hair, do
my full makeup, and so forth. Then I saw that
many other people weren't exactly going overboard in this department.
I think some men I know didn't shave for the
entire month of March, and then once I ran tight

(01:51):
on time and didn't do my hair, the video call
went fine, and this was pretty liberating. I found that
proper lighting also seems to matter more for my coloring
than my makeup, so I tend not to worry much
about this anymore either. This feeling has now extended into
real life too, as we start to go places again.
I went to outdoor church with straight hair the other day.

(02:14):
I might add that if you have to wear a mask,
no one can see half your makeup anyway, so maybe
no need to worry about it. In any case, you
might not be ready to go to low maintenance, but
maybe you can pick one area of you're getting ready
routine with which to experiment. When you're getting dressed, consider
having a work uniform. If you know you'll wear a

(02:35):
pair of black pants and a nice shirt scar for
fun necklace, then choosing each outfit takes almost no time.
You could have a weekend uniform too, maybe a crew
neck sweater, jeans, and slip on sneakers. The fewer choices
you have to make, the less time it takes. Lots
of women or people with long hair in general, can
save time on their hair as well. I realized that

(02:57):
my shampoo and conditioner routine could be come just a
shampoo routine. Could you let your hair air dry? Experiment
with hairstyles that look polished but are quick, like buns
or low ponytails. As for makeup, see if you can
take out an item or two from the rotation without
too huge a change in appearance. Instead of full foundation

(03:19):
and powder, maybe just do some under eye concealer. If
you're accustomed to getting your nails done, I'd note that
absolutely no one is seeing your nails on a zoom call.
If it's a bother to you, this could be a
great thing to let go now. There are lots of
things we have to do in life, but spending an
hour a day on our appearance just maybe isn't one

(03:40):
of them. Going lower maintenance frees us up to have
more time for what brings us joy and meaning, and
that looks good to me. So today, ask what parts
of your getting ready routine you can experiment with. If
you decide that something really matters or is fun for you,
then by all means keep it, but challenge yourself to

(04:01):
ask what really does matter? There are probably a lot
fewer things than you think, especially now. In the meantime.
This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

(04:23):
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod. That's b the number
four than Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot
me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart
media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with

(04:45):
all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to
staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I
Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit
the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite shows. M