The fresh start effect: why January feels like a reset, and how to use it

Gym sign-ups spike in January. So do diet searches, savings plans and new notebooks. Researchers Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman and Jason Riis gave this a name in a 2014 paper: the fresh start effect. People are more likely to pursue goals right after "temporal landmarks" such as the start of a year, a month, a week, or a birthday.

Why landmarks work

The researchers suggested that landmarks create a mental separation between a past self and a new self. The mistakes of last year feel like they belong to someone else, so starting again feels possible. Landmarks also make people step back and think about the bigger picture, which is when goals get set.

January is the biggest landmark of all, but it is not the only one. Mondays, the first of the month, the start of a quarter and a new job all work in smaller ways.

The catch: motivation fades fast

A fresh start gives you energy, not a plan. If the energy is not converted into concrete actions in the first week, it fades and the goal goes with it. That is why so many resolutions are gone by February.

How to use the effect well

Write the first action, not just the goal. Turn "get organised" into "spend 30 minutes on Saturday setting up one board for my projects." We walk through the method in turning New Year goals into next actions.

Pick fewer goals. The energy of a fresh start is limited. Spend it on two or three things.

Plan the next landmark. If a goal stalls, do not wait a year. The first of the next month is another fresh start. Put a reminder on that date to review and restart.

Make progress visible. Seeing actions move to Done keeps motivation going after the initial burst. See Done court psychology.

Use it at work too

Teams experience fresh starts as well: a new quarter, a new financial year, a return from holidays. These are good moments to clear stale work and set new priorities. See task bankruptcy and a fresh start and how to plan Q1 on one board.

A word of caution

A fresh start should not become an excuse to keep restarting instead of continuing. The landmark is a launch pad. The weekly review is what keeps you flying.