February

Energy levels flagging as winter wears on? Try turning February into a month of experimentation and progress.

It's to [make a lot of wonky art](https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/skill-building-new-years-resolution-austin-kleon-adam-grant.html), exercising your skills and slowly honing in on excellence along the way. [fail at our resolutions](https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/resolution-failing-already-swap-it-for-a-word-of-year.html) and realize this year isn't going to be magically easier or different than past ones. It might not always feel like it, but [failure can move us in a positive direction](https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/5-mindset-blocks-that-stop-you-from-learning-from-your-mistakes.html), she points out. But even if you're a little suspicious of their claims, there is survey data to suggest [January is often a low point in productivity](https://www.fastcompany.com/40516054/why-january-is-your-least-productive-month-and-what-to-do-about-it) as many people struggle with the post-holiday comedown and terrible weather. It's to But we can change how we think about failure. "Sometimes the key to success is failing spectacularly and quickly -- then continuously iterating on a solution until it succeeds. Which is why Ringel suggests declaring the month "fail fast February." [run lots of low-stakes experiments or pilot projects](https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/want-to-love-your-career-and-make-more-money-think-smaller.html) and see what works and what doesn't. Here's the idea, which she frames as an initiative for business leaders: [share your own most disastrous failure](https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/the-1-mistake-that-will-totally-sabotage-your-leadership.html) and what you learned from it, or commit your company to piloting a certain number of out-of the-box ideas during the course of the month. [late January is the most miserable time of the year](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(date)) to sell vacations and gym subscriptions.