Presented by Plan B One Step
So how about 2020? It goes without saying that this year did not go as planned for any of us, from our travel plans, to our careers, to our personal lives. Nothing but mess, all around. I think I can speak for everyone when I say I’m very ready for 2020 to be over, and hopeful that the new year will be just a little less depressing.
Obviously, the calendar flipping from December to January isn’t going to magically change anything, and I realized long ago that New Years Resolutions are kind of a scam (sorry, but it’s true). But that doesn’t mean we can’t take a look back at this disaster of a year and take some positive lessons forward into 2021. I’m trying to be positive here — I’m manifesting “I’ve Got This” energy — so let’s just do our best to figure out what we’ve learned from this sh*tshow of a year.
Don’t Book Vacations Too Far In Advance
With the way this year has gone, I’ll be wary of booking anything too far in advance for the next few years. When it comes to planning trips, there are obviously financial and logistical benefits to making arrangements earlier rather than later, but it’s a good idea to balance your Type A tendencies with the reality that anything could happen. If you were one of those people who had to cancel six different trips this year, you should probably slow your roll. You don’t need to wait until the last minute to score a flight or hotel, but you also don’t need to plan your trip down to the minute six months before you depart. If something goes wrong, you don’t want to be on the phone all day with various companies begging for your deposits back.
Always Keep Extra Toilet Paper In Your Closet
Growing up, my parents always kept a closet fully stocked with household items — extra toilet paper, boxes of tissues, cleaning supplies, paper towels — whatever you could think of, there was almost always an extra month’s worth on hand. Somehow, that way of thinking wasn’t passed down to me, which led to some genuine moments of panic this spring when I had to pray that my toilet paper order would arrive before I completely ran out. It wasn’t a fun feeling, and I have finally learned my lesson. Now, I buy the big packs of toilet paper, and I actually pay attention to when I’m on the last roll.
Have 3 Meals You Actually Know How To Cook
If you’re one of those people who can just throw a bunch of random ingredients together and make a delicious dinner with no plan, this has really been your year to shine. For the rest of us, being forced to figure out every meal for several months with little to no useful cooking knowledge has been a struggle. It can be fun to try new things or get creative in the kitchen sometimes, but going forward, it’s important to have some meals that you can throw together, even if you’re not really in the mood to cook. Learn how to make a perfect omelette (for breakfast or dinner), or finally use the family sauce recipe that your mom sent you back in March. Your bank account will thank you, because those endless delivery charges definitely aren’t helping you stick to your budget.
It’s Really Okay To Cancel Plans
Obviously, it sucks when big plans like trips and weddings don’t happen, and it’s not fun when you don’t get to see your friends for months. But this bizarre year has also made us appreciate quiet nights at home and relaxing weekends alone, and I’m excited to take that energy into next year. Hopefully we can go back to enjoying fun things like parties, concerts, and — if you can even imagine — normal dating, but there’s nothing wrong with balancing your introverted and extroverted sides. Obviously, you should still be considerate and give as much notice as possible if you need to cancel, but you don’t need to feel lame because you want to get eight hours of sleep on a Saturday night.
Always Be Prepared With Plan B One-Step ® Emergency Contraception
If this year has taught us anything, it’s that we need to be as flexible as possible. Some things are impossible to see coming, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to be prepared for whatever life throws at us. That’s why it’s important to know about Plan B emergency contraception. If you have unprotected sex and need to take emergency contraception, for whatever reason — like the condom broke, or maybe you missed a pill — you can rest assured knowing that Plan B is the #1 ob/gyn recommended emergency contraception brand. It helps prevent pregnancy before it starts when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex or birth control failure. And, the sooner you take it, the better it works. It works by helping to prevent pregnancy before it starts by temporarily delaying ovulation (no egg + no fertilization = no pregnancy). Taking Plan B won’t affect your future fertility. You can get it at all major retail stores (like Target, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart) — just look in the family planning aisle. No prescription, ID, or age requirement. With Plan B’s “I’ve Got This” attitude, a few recipes, and a lot of extra toilet paper, we can make 2021 a great year (or at least better than 2020, right?).
