
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.

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
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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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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Hi,
A new look for 2012 good on you, and the short hair really does look nice.
Thank You for visiting my blog.
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Thank you so much! I look forward to stopping by again!
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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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What a fantastic (and creative) trade-off! Step into the vortex…
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Thanks Julie! I am glad you got it!!
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Just a nibble off the ears please…and some one let Gaga out of that stupid Gaggle Cage before I gag…
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Great to see you again!
I have been missing out on the Gaga exploits of late. Sounds like she has been up to all kinds of mischief!
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Great list, Susie! Time is such a funny thing, isn’t it? It only sucks us away if we’re willing… Yet it’s so easy to say “SURE!” lol Best wishes for uber success!
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Thank you so much August!
Time really does slip away. I just hope to make it work “for” me “towards” my goals. One can only hope! Hahaha!
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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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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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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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Not since the last time you stopped by! You are welcome to all you can sweep up… ; )
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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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Thanks so much Marcia!
I am still getting used to it…but I like to change my appearance once in a while and it had been a while!
You are right. The internet is ridiculous!
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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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Looks great!
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Thank you! It was a big change. Now I have a much smaller triangle head which is easier to manage. Hahaha!
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This entire post, down to the very title, is a work of art.
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Wow! Thank you so much Edward. You helped me get back on my feet after getting a rejection today!
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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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And I went red yesterday! Talk about brave…but I love it!
Thanks for coming by to read!
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Glad to be following your blog Susie. It’s a great read and thank you for your encouragement with mine!
All the best,
Matt
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Thank you so much Matthew and I am really enjoying yours!
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