Why do New Year’s resolutions fail by February? The answer lies in the psychology of fresh starts. In this productivity episode, we explore Katy Milkman’s research on the “Fresh Start Effect” and how psychological clean slates—like Mondays, birthdays, or a new notebook—can reset your identity and boost motivation.
We explore how psychological clean slates—like Mondays, birthdays, or even a new notebook—can reset your identity and boost motivation. However, fresh starts have a hidden downside: they can actually derail high performers. We’ll show you how to strategically time your resets and use environmental changes to unlock new behaviors without losing your hard-earned momentum.
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Top 3 Productivity Resources
Why certain moments in your life make change *dramatically* easier—and how to spot them [05:18].
When a “fresh start” can actually backfire and slow you down [23:10].
How to engineer your own fresh start—without waiting for January 1st [27:47].
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