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I don't know about you, but January has felt months long. MONTHS long.

Perhaps it's because of the inevitable Q1 downtime and the slower pace of work lately, but the past few weeks I've been filling a lot of my days with the admin work that doesn't really get talked about much on Instagram or on the blog really. I'll opt to wear a lot of the same outfits, shifting between my couch where I usually work or a nearby cafe, where I hunker down to stare at my laptop screen for hours on end. (Side note: blue lenses really do make a difference!) It's far less glamorous than a shoot in a Carolina Herrera gown at The Plaza, but hey, it's also part of the job and here I am, knee deep in tax prep just trying to adult the best way I know how -- that is to say: with a fair amount of coffee and, if I'm being completely honest, a fair amount of complaining along the way too.

If you and your girlfriends have been in the same boat lately, I'm willing to bet you've been checking in on each other, chatting about different "adulting" to-dos on your list. I know my friends and I certainly have. Today, I wanted to share a few of the reoccurring topics that have been popping up amongst my girlfriends and I when it comes to getting our lives aligned with our 2020 vision. Would love to hear if you guys have been chatting about the same topics -- or perhaps different ones! Let me know in the comments below.

1. Tax prep: Perhaps the timeliest of them all, tax prep seems to be on everyone's mind lately, especially for most of my self-employed friends (reminder: 1099 forms are due to your vendors by this Friday, January 31st!). But regardless if you're a freelancer or working a corporate job, it's always a good idea to get on the tax prep train earlier each year. Generally speaking, January tends to be a slower month for most accountants, so this could be a good time to either vet a few candidates if you're in the market for a new CPA or get on the calendar with your current accountant to tackle 2019 together. Just the other day, I made a list of general house keeping questions I had for my accountant and we chatted through them namely because a.) she's awesome and b.) her schedule isn't crazy yet. Net/net: don't wait until March/early April to worry about taxes.

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2. Registering to vote: Lately, I've been joking I should set up a part-time side hustle, registering folks to vote. And given that 2020 is already here, there's no time like the present to check in with your friends to make sure they're properly registered to vote in their state. Nine times out of ten, it requires very little paperwork on your end so it's not nearly as daunting as you might believe. Trust me when I say, it's not so much who or what you vote for, it's more so than you vote in the first place. Here's more info, by state, as to how to register, most of which allow for online registration.

3. Checking in on loved ones randomly: Like many of you, I've been in shock since Sunday's news broke about Kobe Bryant and his daughter's death, along with all the other passengers aboard that helicopter. My heart breaks for their families who are now navigating arguably the hardest times of their lives. And while it's unfortunate to remind ourselves when a tragic event like this happens, it certainly rings that much truer when it does: life really is fragile. No day is guaranteed. If you get the chance today, tomorrow, this week, tell the ones you love that you love them.

4. Wellness week: When I first moved to New York about 5 years ago, I had to do the not so fun activity of finding an all new doctor roster. A new general practitioner. A new gynecologist. A new dentist. A new dermatologist. You get the picture. In order to streamline my life, I decided to make all my annual checkup appointments for the same week, in early February mainly because it was so much easier to remember when I had an appointment since they were all around the same time frame. Given that illness outbreaks seem to be top of mind for everyone right now, do yourself a favor and visit your doctors proactively for your checkups and flu shots -- and if you can, try to align them all for the same time interval, so you don't forget a year from now.

5. Solo dates: Weekends are always a slippery slope when you're self-employed (and heck, even when you work at a corporate full-time job, too). It's easy to fall victim to the mindset of "I just want to get caught up on that one project" and before you know it, Saturday and Sunday have both flown by and you're no more rested than when you started the weekend. Lately, I've been approaching my weekends a bit differently and it seems a lot of my girlfriends have been doing the same -- Saturday is our Get Shit Done Day -- random errands, lose work ends that need to be addressed, cleaning and sorting -- which leaves Sunday wide open to play. Brunch dates, museum visits, a long work out class, but ideally a few activities where you just enjoy your own company, free of distractions and your phone.

But of course, I'd love to hear from you guys! What "adult" things have you been tackling lately? Or perhaps are on your immediate to-do list?

OUTFIT DETAILS: Layfayette 148 trench coat (gifted, sold out but similar style on sale here) // Kohls sweater (gifted) // Sezane skirt (gifted, sold out, but similar style on sale here) // Zara boots (old but similar style here) // Anthropologie beret (similar style here) // Lafayette 148 bag (gifted)

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Photos by Allie Provost