Did you know that when we think about ourselves in the future (say, in 2 years’ time) it’s the same as if we think of other people?
That’s the root of many problematic behaviors – like delegating chores to our future self, repeatedly and... indefinitely.
We like the Pomodoro technique but never seem to start using it. We want to do some gardening as a hobby but there's never a right time to start. We want to start a new work project, like collate our work into a book, but we never get to it. We want to start eating healthier, going to they gym, and so on, but we can't seem to stick to these new habits.
Is there a science-based way to make it easier for us ? To increase the likelihood that we become committed to those things we’d like our future selves to do or be?
The fresh start effect
Consider Jane. At the start of the new year, Jane decided to leverage the fresh start effect to improve her health and fitness. She set clear goals to exercise five times a week, eat more vegetables, and drink more water. To prepare, she signed up for a gym membership, created a meal plan, and bought a water bottle to track her intake. Motivated by the new beginning, she started her regimen on January 1st, using the psychological boost of the fresh start to stay committed. Throughout the year, she monitored her progress, celebrated small milestones, and adjusted her routine as needed, ultimately achieving a significant improvement in her overall well-being.Though a fictional character whose story was generated by ChatGPT, Jane did something smart. She made the bold move to start a new habit on January 1st – a temporal landmark that is meaningful to her. For others, such landmarks can be birthdays, life events like weddings or divorces, first day back from summer holidays and/or new jobs, etc.
The fresh start effect is a psychological phenomenon where people feel motivated to make positive changes and pursue their goals at the start of the week, month, year, or a personal milestone like birthdays or starting a new job.
These temporal landmarks, as they are called, give people a fresh start, letting them forget past failures and focus on the future. A clean slate, if you like.
As a result, we feel more determined and optimistic, believing we can overcome previous obstacles and achieve our aspirations with a fresh beginning.
This effect can be powerful in contexts like New Year’s resolutions, where the calendar change symbolizes an opportunity for self-improvement and goal setting. Or, in the month of September, where we have the occasions of back-to-school and back-to-work, often with changes in our routine.
Both chronological and personal milestones can trigger the fresh start effect. From turning 39 to starting a new job or moving to a new city. As long as the change feels impactful, it can inspire people to adopt new habits, stop old ones or start new projects.
That’s because these changes represent a break from the past and an opportunity to redefine oneself. This can lead to significant behavioral changes, enhancing our personal and professional development.
Now what? Putting the fresh start effect into good use.
Here’s how to do it:
Identify your landmark. If there’s a significant fresh start on the horizon for you, recognize it. It could be a new job, new school, starting a new project, a birthday, a new relationship, a break-up, or any other life reset.
Set your micro-goal. Pick a macro-goal that you want to advance and transform it into something tangible and manageable. For example, if you want to exercise regularly, set a goal like ‘going to the gym 3-4 times a week during lunch break’. If you want to read more books, you can commit to ‘reading at least 5 pages in bed every night’. Notice that each of these micro-goals contain an achievable action, quantity and timing – all important elements in this planning phase.
Make the first step on the first day. Begin your new habits or projects on your landmark date to capitalize on the motivation boost of the fresh start effect.
Track and record. Along the way, set milestones to monitor your progress as well as to be able to recognize and celebrate small victories. Keep also a record of the obstacles you encounter to learn from failures and review and adjust your micro-goals. You may need to make them more difficult or easier.
Refresh and restart. Be positive but, more importantly, be persistent. Chances are you won’t have a spotless record of gym attendance or bedtime reading. But keeping the fresh start effect in mind, you can use upcoming landmark dates (other new starts) as opportunities to refresh and restart when you need to.
Question for you
With a mindset for opportunity, what’s a change you can make in your life to achieve an under-served goal?
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