# new year's resolution - making the most of 2021

february 4, 2021
#offtopic
Most of 2020 passed without significant progress towards shipping Blessfrey and perfecting my website. 2021 likely won't be a return to normal, but I will try to be more productive regardless. I know one thing for sure, though. From now on, when I pray, "Father, thank you for this day," I'll try not to take a normal, healthy day for granted. This year, I'll try to make the most of what I've been given.
Being separated from people for a year is draining. I might be a quiet person, but I get my energy from being around people. Even being near crowds of strangers cheers me up when I'm feeling down.
I began severely limiting my outdoor activities during the second week of January, about two months before social distancing was officially mandated. After a full indoor year, going out has become such a fantasy. Simple grocery trips are an event to celebrate with cute clothes and makeup.
For inspiration, I started watching lots of small beauty youtubers for new tutorials. It turns out nobody makes tutorials anymore, but the closest equivalents incorporate a surprising amount of self-reflection about makeup, particularly the wastefulness of large collections. It's cheesy, but I felt a connection to the wastefulness of my 2020.

## panning makeup

Online beauty communities value panning. For a community based around consumerism, it's aspirational to be content with what you already have and actually use it regularly. (As someone with a lot of HumbleBundle games, I kind of get it. As if I'm going to 100% every single game that came bundled with the few I wanted.) To promote making the most out of makeup, the term panning was coined for reaching the bottom packaging of a product. #Projectpan and #panporn are full of photos of well-loved makeup, like this Instagram girl's blushes.

> View this post on Instagram

> A post shared by Curated By Léah (@_curatedbyleah)

Panning is obviously encouraging you to buy less and all that, but the message that stands out to me is to use the things you love. Products get discontinued all the time, so there's a natural tendency to save your favorites. That's wasteful, since makeup is more likely to expire than empty. If it's your favorite, you should use it every single day!

## panning other areas of life

I guess the concept is obvious, but I find wisdom in panning. It can be applied anywhere - unfinished projects, videogame backlogs, unread book collections, skipped Bible readings, stocked up baking ingredients, unused art supplies, ignored MOOCs, forgotten exercise equipment, and hoarded assets + libraries...For each item in those areas, I could have been developing skills, gaining new perspectives, and having fun. Otherwise, it's just junk taking up space in my apartment and hard drive.
In 2021, even if I have to do it all cooped up at home, I'm going to be more intentional about enjoying my hobbies. I've already finished 2 books, made freezer cookie logs, and actually completed a playthrough of Planescape: Torment. The pandemic disrupted my life, but stifling myself isn't healthy.
Happy (belated) New Year. Enjoy 2021 to the fullest. :)
Last updated 05/26/21