Breasts, Blues & Booked

January, February, and March are some darkkkk months. And I don’t just mean weather-wise (although… yeah, that too). The holidays are over, the jolly vibes are gone, and suddenly there’s nothing to hide behind. No travel plans. No festive chaos. No built-in excuses for being off your routine.

It’s just you, your calendar, and the sun setting at an aggressively rude hour.

This is the part of the year where it’s very easy to accidentally disappear into a loop. You go to work. You come home. You cook chicken breasts. You watch TV. You tell yourself you’ll “do something fun soon.” Then suddenly it’s March and you’re like… wait, what did I actually do?

(Also I was talking about Chicken Breasts. Get your head out of the gutter.)

And don’t get me wrong — that routine can be awesome. I love a routine. I thrive in it. I hate breaking it. But winter has a sneaky way of turning “routine” into “monotony,” and before you know it, you’ve just kind of… existed for three months.

So what’s the fix?

You’ve gotta give yourself things to look forward to. You’ve gotta stay busy. Fill the calendar. Force yourself to socialize. Exercise. Go out. See shows. Go skiing. Take a weekend away. Go to Florida. Or don’t. I don’t know. Just do something.

Surprise yourself every now and then.
(Also — real talk — did anyone else know “surprise” is spelled with two R’s? One right after the “su.” I had no idea that first R was in there. I was genuinely surprised. Boom. See? It works.)

The biggest thing I’ve learned is this: you need at least one thing per month that you’re genuinely fired up about. Put it on the calendar. Second or third week of the month. Right when things start to feel bleak. A show. A ski weekend. A great restaurant. Something that makes you go, “Okay, yeah, I can get through the next couple weeks.”

It sounds like small fish. It is not. It means a lot.

Let’s crack open my calendar as an example.

Long weekend in Jan? Heading up to Vermont. Skiing with some friends. Long weekend. Cold weather. Hot toddy’s? Exactly what January requires.

February is my personal favorite. My girlfriend and I go up to Lake Placid to visit her family. Cross-country skiing, reading by the fire, and re-watching Miracle for the one billionth time. And let me tell you — there is nothing quite like watching Miracle while you’re about 100 feet from the arena where it all went down. Lake Placid absolutely rocks.

March? Currently empty. Which is unacceptable behavior. March is the WORST. Football is gone. Weather is ass. But don’t worry — I’ll fix that. Ski trip maybe. Utah. Montana. Somewhere with snow. Somewhere with powder. Somewhere that isn’t slushy, cold, muddy, disgusting like NYC. Maybe Florida? Anyone want me to come speak on a panel in Miami?

I really do love a routine. But it’s way too easy this time of year to get stuck doing the same thing, over and over, while it’s dark and cold and the holidays are a distant memory. You’ve gotta buck the trend. Break it up. Do something unexpected. Even if it’s small.

Hell, go see an improv show 😉 

We’re planning on putting on one improv show per month in NYC all of 2026. A full year of laughs. Twelve reasons to leave your apartment. Twelve things to look forward to. Put one on the calendar. Future You will be happy you did.

Winter doesn’t need to be endured.
It just needs a little planning.

Give yourself something to look forward to. Then another thing. Then another. Before you know it, the dark months don’t feel so heavy anymore.