If you’re reading this, congratulations are in order! You obviously survived January.

Wouldn’t it be nice though if we scrapped January from the Calendar and saved everybody the stress of struggling to make it through the ‘longest’ month year in, year out?

My suggestion would be to split it in two and then add one half to December and the other to February since we always complain that both December and February are "short” anyway!

It would disrupt quarterly-based projections, results and such but I’m sure we’d get used to it with time. I think the only people who really care about January are those whose birthdays and anniversaries fall in the dreaded month.

Plus of course those eyeing promotions or generous bonuses and salary raises. The rest of us couldn’t care less! It’s crazy how we go from the excitement of Christmas and the New Year to January Blues.

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that everything is hiked in January. It’s like everybody is trying to make up for the "damage” of all that spending over the Festive Season so fuel and food prices, rent, school fees and supplies all go up. Add the pressure of New Year’s Resolutions and it’s a miracle we don’t lose our minds.

Expectations are high, everybody wants to make more money, expand their business, build a house, travel more or finally pay off that long overdue loan, and it can get tough. The good thing is that we can improvise, sort of!

You can walk to work under the guise of your resolution to get fit or save the environment. And on days you can’t afford lunch, look for one of those lunch hour worship places. Your colleagues will admire your resolve to renew your relationship with God and they might even join you!

As for those who schedule January weddings, you’re either crazy or don’t really need our contributions, which is refreshing! Imagine getting an invitation without having had to attend those stressful "begging” meetings at a time when you need all your coins!

Frankly, unless we’re really close friends or family, I just don’t turn up. If you’re lucky, I might send a belated wedding present around March. What can I say? Times are hard. So, who’s in favour of scrapping January?