Glossary
Fresh start effect, explained
The fresh start effect is the finding that people are more likely to start working on goals right after "temporal landmarks": the start of a week, a month, a year, or after a birthday. Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman and Jason Riis described it in 2014.
What it means
Landmarks create a mental line between an old self and a new one. Past failures feel like they belong to the old period, which makes starting again easier. In their studies, gym visits and searches for "diet" rose at the start of weeks, months and years.
How to do it in a calendar
- Plan the week on Sunday so Monday starts on a plan, not a scramble.
- Use the first of the month to change one habit.
- If a week went badly, use the next Monday as a reset rather than writing off the month.
An example
After a missed week of training, plan next week's three gym blocks on Sunday evening, and let Monday be the new start.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for a landmark. Every Monday is one; you do not need January.
- Starting too big. A fresh start helps you begin, not do everything at once.
Where it comes from
Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563–2582.
Questions
Is "I'll start on Monday" procrastination?
It can be. Used well, it means planning now so Monday begins with a plan. Used badly, it means doing nothing until then.
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