Trimming Time

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Breanna snipping it off at Twig in Boulder

With the advent of a New Year, it is always a good idea to make changes on the inside such as:

#1. Do not get sucked into the vortex of the internet every stinkin’ day in 2012! Waste less time for God’s sake!

This year I decided to make a change on the outside too. I rekindled my interest in The Secret. Do you remember that best-selling book based on the power of positive thinking about some of the greatest people who lived and their accomplishments? Well, I hadn’t given it much thought since I started writing last spring. One of the book’s most important points is to live your life as if you have already attained your goal. “Hmm,” I thought, “How would I live my life differently if my book is published?” If it sells well, I could find myself going to book signings. I certainly wouldn’t want to go around looking like a triangle-headed mop-haired woman. So, I cut it off. Not just a trim. A whack. Not quite a buzz cut, but short!

Whoa! That was a huge change. I hadn’t predicted how much time that would save me. BONUS!

#1. No more hair ties! I no longer have to hunt around for them before playing sports or when having a bad hair day (which was nearly every day). For those of you with short hair, rubber bands disappear like a sock in the wash. I don’t know if my dog eats them or them or they spontaneously combust. Maybe they vaporize in our dry Colorado air! That must save me at least a minute per day.

#2. No more dreadlocks! One would begin forming at the nap of my neck as my long hair rubbed against the back of my hoody, sweater, turtleneck or scarf. It always happened when I skied and then I would have to spend about 10 minutes trying to untangle it. Sometimes I would give up and cut it off!

#3. No more flipping my hair out of clothing! What’s that? Whenever I put on a shirt, sweater or jacket I would do the hair flip to slip it out. Ha! Old habits die hard and after three weeks I still find myself flipping it, but nothing is there! This is just plain embarrassing and not really a time waster since it only takes a second or two.

#4. No more getting my hair pulled! I have snagged it on buttons, zippers and occasionally my husband Danny would roll over on it in bed! OUCH! Talk about a waste of time!

#5. No more long showers! It takes less time to shampoo, condition and rinse and I use a lot less. That saves me at least 3 minutes.

#6. No more heavy artillery to style it! To tame my wild hair I used a blow dryer, hot rollers  and a straightener. All that work took at least 20 minutes. Now I just wash it, throw in some gel and go!

#7. No more straggly wragglies! All the damaged hair was cut off so I don’t need to treat the ends anymore.

#8. No more tangles! There is no need to brush it since it is so short-cropped. That saves at least another minute per day.


#9. No more hiding under a hat! When we go to a humid climate, I won’t have to wear one in every picture. My hair would actually get so big it could provide shade for a family of five.

#10. No one recognizes me! Another bonus! I can get away with all kinds of stealth behavior since it takes about 3 full minutes before my friends realize it’s me.

Now when I look in the mirror I smile back instead of shuddering then sprinting back up upstairs to fix my hair.

No hot rollers were abused in the making of this photograph

Hey! Wait a minute. After estimating how much effort it took to manage my long hair in one year, I had to sit down. The grand total = 486,450 seconds or 81,075 minutes or 135 hours! 

Now I won’t feel guilty when I am sucked into the vortex of the internet in 2012! 

If I would just finish writing my book…

What are your time sucking habits?

If you find extra time, how do you use it?

All photos by S. and C. Lindau

79 thoughts on “Trimming Time”

  1. you are looking so gorgeous with this new hair and so true am wearing short hair too…fed up of disappearing hair bands and clips,, Thank God am not alone was kinda thinking some sorta band clip ghost attack…
    and the estimate totaly makes worth getting sucked in the vortex
    thanks for the statistics 🙂

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  2. My hair just doesn’t grow that long and it’s super fine, so I’ve never had to worry about it wasting my time in the shower. It’s always taken more time getting it to do anything but hang there like a limp dishrag. I’ve always dreamed of having thick, long, wavy hair because I thought it would be easier to deal with. I guess not?. You are looking fabulous in the new cut! Great start to the new year I say!

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  3. How did you do this?
    My hair which I have barely cut for years is past my boobs. There is no way I could cut it.. Its lies like a dead mop sometimes on my head but still could not cut it. As soon as I come in the door I clip it up. Does not make sense..I know but yikes you mean business this year.
    HAPPY 2012
    HUGGGGGGGGG

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  4. Is that pic after the haircut?
    You look great but I was expecting really short.
    think I will run the machine over mine…have a number two…that should scare the hell out of everyone at work next week!

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  6. Strange, I still don’t see the connection between cutting your hair and writing a book. I mean, your new haircut looks fab, but I wouldn’t cut mine, and that certainly won’t prevent me from writing my second novel. 🙂 LOL!

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  7. Love it, Susie. It really suits you. So true about trimming time here and there, it all adds up. I used to have quite long curly hair and now it couldn’t be shorter, never looked back. Enjoy!

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  9. Susie, I love the cut! And how fortunate you are to be able to just put gel in and your ready to go. My hair is about the same length, cut in a short bob. But it doesn’t curl like yours, it’s in-between. So I have to do the blow dryer thing with the product.

    Have a great 2012 Susie! I always appreciate your posts and I am hoping for more snow for you! 🙂

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    • I found that twisting it and clipping it up and letting it air dry keeps the curl in it. My daughter suggested that tip! Thanks Courtney!
      Thank you so much Karen!! I enjoy yours too! It is supposed to snow at the end of the week. I think we are just spoiled after all the snow we got last year.

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  11. This was great! I have long hair, finally, after letting it grow for nearly 10 yrs. I enjoy my long hair now, but there are days, I miss my short hair too. You are a great writer and I wish you well. If you ever need any recommendations for a lit agent or editor, Find me on Linkedin, I have several contacts.

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  16. I agree with the hair thing, mine keeps getting shorter and with it less time spent fixing it:) I need to find some more time trimming goals! Happy 2012:0

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  21. Cute haircut– I was expecting a pixie by your description. I’m trying to grow my hair out from what was supposed to be a “long pixie” but the hairdresser decided to give me a crew cut– no joke. Scary stuff. I’ve had a lot of really bad hair(dresser) experiences. Glad yours look so beautiful!
    ~Pattie

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    • A Crew cut? OMG! Once I went into the salon for some highlights and the hairdresser took all the color out of my hair. It looked like gray hair!!

      Thanks Patty! I was worried at first, since I had no idea how to style it. It seemed like a pixie cut too. It has been a couple weeks and it is growing on me (hahaha!) Now I don’t know if I would ever grow it out again!

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    • Thanks Jell Jell!
      I would have kept it long if it was easier to take care of. I am still getting used to it, but I will probably keep changing my hair periodically. I get bored too!

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  25. That “not getting sucked into the vortex of the Internet” is an enviable goal! I promise this one almost every day only for the gravity of the black hole to pull me back in. Today I have so much to do. And yet here I am, you caught me! Susie, when you figure the secret out on the grip of the Internet Please let me know.

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  26. I will let you know! I am in a location where it is running slow so I am forced to stop once in a while. I hope that it becomes a habit! Hahaha! I for one am glad you got “sucked in” to read!

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  27. That new ‘do is super cute! You are hilarious ~ no rollers were abused for that picture ~ too funny!

    It’s amazing how much time we spend on our outward appearance. And for what? For whom?

    One of my biggest time wasters was trashy tv ~ when I added up how many hours a week I spent watching mindless, brain sucking shows, I made the decision to quit watching them. I actually feel smarter now that I don’t have the shows sucking my brain cells. More time for the internet!

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    • Thank you so much!!
      You are so right about outward appearance.
      I have stopped watching a lot of TV shows which has freed up a ton of my time as well. I am proud to say that I have never seen the Kardashians! Hahaha!

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  29. Congrats on loving your new hair!

    My time-sucking is spent listening to blathering, elderly parents repeating themselves (often at more than a time-expense but repeating criticisms, yay!), each other and not hearing each other repeating one another, so I get to translate/ repeat for them to each other (repeating each other). Follow that? Yeah. What a waste of time.

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    • Thank you so much! I am not sure that I love it, but it gives me less problems than long hair.
      OMG! Sounds like you’ve got your hands full, but are keeping your sense of humor which is great!
      Thanks for reading!

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  34. I have to say Susie, your writing improves with every post! It’s always fun to read this blog, especially when I know a smile is waiting for me at the end!
    I have to wrap this up now – my head is still spinning!

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  35. Wow, you are sooooooo brave! Your new haircut looks darling. And the best part is that all you have to do is add some gel to it. That’s to die for. I could never get away with that if I cut my hair. So good thing I bought tons of ponytail holders for the days (almost everyday) when I don’t feel like blow drying my hair!

    My time suck? Way too many to list right now!

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  36. Wow…have you done something different with your hair? Looks Great…hey ya think I can get the floor sweepings? I’d like to make a Mosquito net …been hearing of a Bionic Buzz kill heading our way…
    Bless You
    paul

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  38. Cute cut, Susie! I’ve only had short hair twice in my life. It’s just not me. But my hair, which is now to the middle of my back, never seems to look as good as it used to. So I’m planning to chop off at least 3″-4″ and style it differently. Never considered it a time-suck, but the internet…well that can suck the life out of you! Have a great 2012!

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  39. hahaha you have perfect logic! i like the way you think 🙂 the cut looks great. I chopped off my hair too, and while it was very edgy and fab, I miss my long hair!

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    • Thanks EyeLaugh!
      I thought I would regret it, but although I was nervous about it at first, it still looks better than than the frizzy mop hair I had. Okay it wasn’t all that bad, but not that good!! Hahaha!
      Hair grows fast. In a year you will have 6 new inches or more!

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  44. Wow. You are brave. I considered going much shorter but opted for a really good trim instead, and get them more often. I decided that I no longer try to grow it long, just accept it at around shoulder length. The result is that the good and frequent trims made my hair healthier and thus longer. Not part of the plan, but I’ll take it.

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