The Fresh Start (Effect)..
Every new year, regardless of how “good” or “bad” I thought the last year was, I always feel so light and, well, hopeful at the beginning of the year. It’s 2 weeks in, but I am still riding that wave. :)
That got to me thinking about what exactly is going as the great New Years ball drops and we harken in a new year. Why do we feel this way? And why do many of us choose this time to set goals/intentions or desires for the next year. I found out that the beginning of chapters, be they a chapter like a week, month or year, or a chapter like a new job or new marriage or relationship, we tend to feel a sense of renewal or a “clean slate and are much more likely to pursue our goals with renewed vigor at those moments. We have some kind of a “break” from the past and wipe the proverbial slate clean. This is called the Fresh Start Effect. Yup. It’s actually called that by habit change researcher Katy Milkman.
Milkman found that people tend to be most change and goal-oriented at the beginning of the week or month. For instance, apparently people start healthy eating programs on Mondays. They are also more likely to go to the gym Mondays. At the beginning of the year, they (meaning us) are more likely to look at the past to design a hopeful future. The Fresh Start Effect.
So it is 18 days after the beginning of the year and statistically speaking, about 50% of people who had new years resolutions are already off said resolution. Sucky. How, then, can we make our fresh start goals a little more sticky?
A few things I teach in my health coaching courses are to identify obstacles. For instance, if you want to start your big exercise program before you go to work, not liking exercise nor getting up early are pretty significant obstacles, no? If we don’t enjoy the thing we are seeking to do more of, it may be quite hard to persist. I know this from my time trying to learn German grammar for instance. :)
So if we don't find a way to make it enjoyable, we are probably going to quit quite early, like before the 18th day of the month for instance. Making the thing more enjoyable can involve changing the plan we have in our minds to reflect the reality of our obstacles. For instance, if you don’t like morning yoga, you may like a long walk with your dog instead. If you hate going to the gym, you may like it more if you bring a friend. Friends and dogs may be pretty positive motivators that make the thing you want more joyful. Kudos to that.
Another helpful habit changing trick is to break things down into small, bite-size steps (called kaizen for those in the know). Doing something daily for a small amount is proven far more effective in the long term than trying to do a lot not very often. I do a little bit of German every day (min 10 minutes) rather than wait and delay until Sunday night. I used to hate morning exercise and did 7 minute apps because that was much harder to argue against than a 45 minute run. Both of these things may seem small, but they build up over time. And the consistency builds it into a routine which eventually becomes just how we do things and just who we are.
Lastly, I think it’s smart to link things we want to start doing to what we like and are already doing. Link the new habit to an existing, fun one. I know people who watch crappy sitcoms at the gym only and it gets their butt on the treadmill. I am currently watching Netflix with German subtitles or not at all. I am also a podcast lover so I added some easy German podcasts into the line up of the podcasts I already love. So I would have to actually work to not do the new thing I want to do.
These small shifts build into big changes over time. When the thing I dread becomes linked to something I like, slowly I start to see that dreaded thing differently.. if not positive, at least not so negative. :) Eventually, dare I say, over time I may even LIKE that dreaded thing. Even German grammar? This seems like a high bar oh so far away. It is beginning of the year and the future seems sooo bright… Doesn’t it?
Check out my next retreat and health coaching course below for bright beginnings to this 2022 year.