Image from Behance
For quite a while, we subscribed in the belief that the more steps we have in our routines, the more we get to optimize it to yield better results.
Most evident when the 10-step skincare was all the rage, we believed that to achieve the results we wanted, we had to follow several steps in the hopes of getting better skin. While this could still hold for some people, we often forget to consider our goals and needs. After all, with all the points in these routines, shouldn't they cover all the skin concerns we could possibly have?
Our work-around for this? It's switching to simpler, more targeted routines.
Why you should do it
When you think about it, although the additional steps we do in our routines take just a minimum of 30 seconds, we could save that time to do things that would preserve our energy— allocating it to other aspects in life we want to explore or grow.
Not only that, but we get to practice mindfulness and learn to add more intention to everything we do in our daily lives. It offers a time for introspection, a good chance for us to truly get down on what we really need and what it would take for us to, slowly but surely, get to what we want to achieve.
While cutting down a few steps out of your routine may sound easy, we get how it can become challenging, especially when we've been so used to more is more. Here are some ways you can slowly transition into easier but effective routines in case you need that change of pace:
Reflect & detox.
Image from Carla Cascales Alimbau
Our most essential first move for the better version of ourselves has always been to start within. This is when we get to ask ourselves what our needs are at the moment and what we could do to accommodate those needs. We pinpoint our goals— taking that time to see whether the things we do align with those goals and see what we can do in that aspect to recenter ourselves to what we want to achieve.
From there, we could start recognizing which steps feel redundant or unnecessary, a step forward to make more space for the other aspects we want to thrive in; a great way to make space for the better things and the better you.
Get specific.
Image from Simply Skin
Once we've thought of the needs we want to attend to and the goals we want to align with, the tricky part of finding out what to do with a narrowed (but more focused) routine steps in.
For this, we recommend taking the very essence of those needs and goals to get more specific. An example? It might be an attractive thought to have several steps to address every skin concern under the sun. However, if your goal was to target acne scars, the number of this-and-that products and multiple treatments blurs that vision— leaving you with a cluttered collection and resources down the drain that didn't take you any nearer to your goal. Whereas if you make that specific target of treating acne scars by getting treatments that address just that and gravitating towards ingredients that aligns with that goal, you preserve time, energy, and resources towards something more intentional. And you.
Carry it with you.
Like anything, switching the pace of our routines won't happen overnight. Sometimes, it might take us time to say goodbye to the steps that no longer work with us. Maybe it will even be harder for most since some routines, for others, are parts of our lives that give us control.
If you're one of these people, try to take it slow. Your first step doesn't always have to look like an overhaul of your usuals. It can start in the more little things. Perhaps it can be that tidying-up routine for your bedroom. Before springing into action, pause for a moment and make a mental note of what you need to do. In the little questions like "How can I make fewer trips out of my room?" or "What order should I clean up my room?" we not only save time and energy, but we also notice how we become mindful of the very act of cleaning your room. It's an act of tidying up, yes, but it becomes a present (maybe even more cathartic) experience.
Try these steps out, even in the most mundane things. It's in these small things that make the most impact to take us one step closer to the highest version of ourselves. Which part of your life seems to need a change of pace?
Thumbnail from Simply Skin and Behance