The January Agenda

Hooray! The first week of the New Year will soon be behind us. I will admit, it was rough heading back to the 9-to-5 come Tuesday, but with enough coffee, four chances to wear the nice things that Santa brought me over the holidays, and the possibility of some snow on the East Coast—we made it to the weekend. Congrats, my fellow cubicle dwellers and office mates!

The best part of this whole New Year thing is that we get to reset the clock in a way. Didn’t make healthy choices in 2016? You can do better this year. I’m still holding out hope that this will be the year that it’s announced sweets are their own food group and should be relished…but I digress.

So, if you are still going strong with your New Year’s resolution, you are to be commended. And if you have yet to make a single New Year’s resolution, have broken all of them six days into the New Year, or think you’re perfect just the way you are, cheers to your fabulousness!

Without further ado, here’s what I have on tap for the first month of 2017:

Do: One goal for 2017 is to save more money. I often wonder where my hard-earned cash goes, and then I look at the clothes in the closet, all of the makeup in the bathroom, and the Starbucks in my hand (#sorrynotsorry). In light of these vices, I recently signed up for my employer’s 401(k) where they offer a match. If there is one thing I feel strongly about it is not passing up free money—which is what you are doing when you fail to partake. As much as I might miss that 5% of pre-tax dollars that is being taken out of my paycheck bi-weekly, I know it is worth it in the long run. So if you work somewhere that offers a company match, take advantage of it. Yes, it might mean fewer lattes at Starbucks, but your inner Suze Orman will thank you—and you’ll feel good about yourself, too.

Go: Back to kickboxing, for sure! I’ve majorly slacked off in the fitness department (read: haven’t exercised since I was 29—and if you were paying attention, you would know that means November!). I am fully prepared for the first class to be as grueling as getting through this week was delightfully motivating without leaving me sore for days.

Buy: Ah, who can resist buying Christmas presents for oneself when you should be shopping for others? Now that the holidays are over, I have no excuse. But I just couldn’t resist picking up a new nail polish at this cute little boutique I stumbled upon. I’ve started paying more attention to what is in my beauty products, and have been eliminating chemicals where I can. One way I have done that is by looking for nail polish that doesn’t have the ick factor—as in, you don’t have to paint your nails with the window open, or worse—outside (like I do). So when I found “Like a Boss” from Aila Cosmetics, not only was I wowed by the gorgeous rose gold hue, but that it didn’t have that awful nail polish smell. I’ve had it on my nails almost a week now, but I have yet to report a chip. I’ll share a full review once I have more time to test it—but so far, I am impressed.

Read: My reading in 2016 picked up and tapered off in about the same amount of time. I was doing so well over the summer, and then came getting back into the swing of a 9-to-5 and my reading came to a screeching halt (sorry, Brené Brown, I still haven’t had a chance to get through your book). But since this month is Thyroid Disease Awareness Month, and in light of everything that is going on with my health (how you doin’, antithyroglobulin!), I thought I would make an extra special effort to read The Thyroid Connection by Amy Myers. As we get closer to my upcoming February testing, I will need all the help I can get in the thyroid department. Be prepared for a few thyroid-related posts to come your way this month!

What’s on your agenda this month?