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Squiggly Careers

#450 How to Change with Katy Milkman

Jan 8, 2025
Katy Milkman, a behavioral scientist and author of 'How to Change,' discusses transformative strategies for personal development. She introduces the 'fresh start effect' to inspire change during significant life moments. Katy also shares how to overcome psychological barriers and highlights 'temptation bundling' to make personal growth enjoyable. Furthermore, she emphasizes turning intentions into actions with timely reminders and encourages following one's passion over a strictly strategic career approach for greater satisfaction and success.
15:39

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The fresh start effect highlights how specific life moments can create renewed motivation for change by symbolizing clean slates.
  • Identifying internal obstacles and gamifying tasks can empower individuals to overcome challenges and boost motivation in pursuing personal goals.

Deep dives

Understanding the Fresh Start Effect

The fresh start effect refers to the phenomenon where specific moments in life, such as New Year's Day or birthdays, create a psychological opportunity for individuals to pursue change. These moments are perceived as clean slates, allowing people to dissociate from past failures and embrace new goals with renewed optimism. The effect suggests that even the arbitrary nature of these dates can motivate people to take action and pursue their ambitions, as they feel a sense of liberation and possibility. This mindset can lead to a noticeable increase in goal pursuit whenever these fresh start dates occur, underscoring the importance of harnessing them for personal change.

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