In a Hurry, Mistakes I Make in Skin Care

Fewer Zoom meetings, more in-person gatherings, fewer evenings at home, more out, less walking, more driving, less television bingeing, and more live performances, I seem to live by the clock again.

Back to a scheduled life

The New York traffic is stifling again. I have schedule again. I am in a rush. I am in a hurry to get someplace that I want to leave. I am back in the fast lane.

Things suffer when I rush and don’t prepare. I forget things. I don’t leave enough margin. I am stressed. I make mistakes and that costs me particularly as it relates to skincare.

In a rush, I forget things

When I need to be somewhere thirty minutes ago, I lose the thirty minutes I needed to:

• Put on any sun screen at all and when I do it’s too little and too late. I dabble when I really need a couple of finger lengths for my face and neck. I should also be putting on sun screen 25-30 minutes before I go out. Brutal mistake!
• Check the weather of my route and destination. I have no idea if it’s overcast, sunny, and no idea about the ultraviolet ray factor. I don’t know how and when the weather might change and how that would affect my skin care.
• Bring a hat, cover-up, protective clothing, sunglasses, or any sunscreen or lip balm. I often end up in some really sunny place with no way to shade myself if no shade is available. Happens way too often!
• Research my location or understand the nature of my activities. I don’t know if it will be shaded or whether I will be primarily outside. Sometimes I think I am going to an inside meal and it’s really outside with minimal protection. Combined with the other mistakes listed above, this is really rough.
• Bring theSPF50 sunblock and not the SPF15 facial moisturizer by mistake. One protects me for a limited time, the other is normally enough for most of my outdoor activities.
• Plan my day better to be outside when there is less, direct sunlight (before 10am and after 2pm in most locations).

Tips for skin care when in a hurry

Sometimes there is no avoiding being in a hurry. Life can happen in an instant. There are a few things you can do that will help you in most any circumstance.

• Have a “go” bag filled with sun screen, lip protectant, a hat, etc. Put in anything you would need that you could toss in your car or backpack.
• Make it a habit to plan your day the night before. This means having an understanding of the weather and location ahead of time that will inform the way that you dress and what you bring. You won’t be as likely to be surprised by your surroundings or circumstances if you know them hours before.
• Put on some level of sunscreen when you start your day if you plan to be outside for any amount of time. Just build that in. Think shower, shave, brush teeth, apply sun screen as part of your regular routine.

Any other helpful hints?