As the month begins, you just plain don't want to do what your dumb old boss wants you to do. Well, fine. Sometimes you just have to rebel a little. But in this tough economy, it would be best to rebel in little ways your boss won't catch on to. Like, cross your fingers behind your back when you say 'I'd love to recheck those ten thousand figures, ma'am.' Or add a 'not,' silently in your head after you say something like, 'Sir, the thing I'd like best to do now is stay and work late.' Make your problem with authority work for you on the 1st. The 3rd is decision day, so make at least one.

What's not to like about the way your month is starting out at work on the 1st? You're getting plenty of much-deserved recognition. Your hard work is yielding impressive results. And you just got an extra week of paid vacation thrown in for this year! Wow! But is there still something amiss? By the intensely self-reflective 4th and 5th, you need to think long and hard about some of the most basic issues. Are you happy doing what you do? Could you be happier doing something else? Why or why not?

Be careful, particularly if you are betting with other people's money (which, unless you're in Vegas, you probably are) on the 1st. Sure, that might be a super deal. But it might also be a fraud. So don't be cavalier. Don't forget to check their background. Don't pay now, pay later. You get the idea. Something your boss says might rub you the wrong way on the 5th. Try not to take it personally -- it was just a stupid comment. You've done your homework and you're ready to wager on the 12th and 13th. If you know you know, then go for it!

Nobody ever signed a good deal when one party didn't understand what it was the other party was demanding they agree to. So why are you letting them get away with slipping a questionable clause in under your nose on the 1st?

You have a lot to look forward to this month. Yep, you are one of the few people in the world who actually wants to go in to work early. Why?

So you might be just a little bitty bit stressed at work on the 1st. Who could blame you?

You do best on the 1st if you direct as much energy as possible towards public service. Sure, you have to get your day job done. But try to work in a little pro bono -- whether that means volunteering at the local Low-income Renters' Rights office, or setting up a program to donate your restaurant's leftovers to a local food bank. You could find you generate a lot of surprise side benefits!

You might as well cut out a colored-paper crown, glue glitter to it, put it on your head, get a cardboard scepter, make a T-shirt that says 'Number One' and hang a sign in your car windshield that reads 'Achiever On Board' on the 1st, because there's just about nothing you can't accomplish right now. Yep, if it's doable, at work, you're going to do it. And even if it isn't, you might. Your boss is going to love you. How does your honey feel about it, though?

In work, as in life, there are going to be ups and there are going to be downs. Cheer up!

On the 1st, you simply have to stop dillydallying. Look, the only way to get this done is to plunge right in. You've got to grasp the bull by the horns, close your eyes and refuse to let go before the ride is finished. And what a ride it will be! You're ready to fulfill your own expectations -- or at least, a portion of them. Which is not to say that caution is never ever a good quality (naturally, sometimes it is appropriate). The 4th and 5th are days that may well call for a little good, old-fashioned carefulness. If your office is too noisy on the 10th, leave!