January 2026
Dear friends and clients,
I hope you had a Merry Christmas and are enjoying a happy New Year! During the holiday break, my wife and I helped our son and his family (which includes his wife—expecting daughter #3—twin daughters, and two large German shepherds) move from the lush green Washington, D.C. area to the warmer, cactus-friendly Tucson, AZ area.
As we drove on this long road trip, we celebrated our 37th anniversary. Knowing that I love audiobooks, my wife suggested we listen to a proper but ghostly romance novel. I agreed.
Book Recommendation #1: Winterset – A Proper but Ghostly Romance
This is the story of a young 19th-century woman hiding in Mr. Oliver Jennings’ mansion, pretending to be a ghost so he won’t discover her. Instead, he learns his “ghost” is a beautiful young woman who needs his protection from her ex-fiancé.
Learn more about Winterset at DeseretBook.com .
After finishing it, and as the new year approached, I started thinking about goals and resolutions. So, I suggested we listen to a practical self-help book. She agreed.
Book Recommendation #2: Atomic Habits – Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
Atomic Habits promises “an easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones” by making small improvements every day. Among other things, it teaches you to:
- Focus on small, incremental improvements rather than big goals.
- Let good habits shape your identity—and let your identity help you break bad habits.
- Build systems that make it easy to acquire good habits.
- Make good habits irresistible by pairing something you want with something you need.
Learn more about Atomic Habits the book’s website.
TechMentor Free Stuff: Build a Monthly Calendar in Excel
At the end of 2025 , I taught Excel classes at Bridgerland Technical College. Along the way, I created separate step-by-step How To documents for building a dynamic monthly calendar for any month from January 1900 onward. These documents include essential Excel skills like AutoFill, Named Ranges, formulas in plain English, formatting tricks, conditional formatting, and more.
Grab the free “Creating Monthly Calendars with Excel” guides from TechMentors Free Stuff page.
Wrapping Up
As we kick off this new year, I hope these ideas—whether a good book or a practical Excel tip—help you start strong.
Here’s to a productive and joyful 2026!
Tom
