We’ve all felt it—that moment of excitement when the slate is wiped clean and we’re free to be the person we’ve always known we could be.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year! That’s it, I’m a different person now.
Then you wake up hungover and realise you’re just the same.
Maybe next year?
Whether it’s the start of a new year, coming back from a holiday, or simply saying, “I’ll start on Monday,” we often wait for a fresh start to make positive changes in our lives.
This psychological tendency is known as The Fresh Start Effect.
Why Fresh Starts Feel So Appealing
Fresh starts help us mentally distance ourselves from past failures, missed opportunities, or regrets. By marking a new beginning—like a birthday, the first day of a month, or even a Monday—we create a mental reset point. It frees us to move forward full of hope that things will be different.
But Here’s the Catch…
While motivating, this mindset can backfire. By always waiting for a big and impactful fresh start, we can end up stuck in a cycle of delay and inaction.
We say things like:
• “I’ll start eating healthily next Monday.”
• “I’ll get back to the gym once the new month starts.”
• “1st January is when everything will change.”
And when that fresh start arrives and we don’t stick to our plans? We often give up entirely… only to wait for the next one.
This delay can cost us weeks or even months of progress.
Reframing the Fresh Start
There’s clearly something in each of us that loves the idea of a fresh start. So how can we harness that?
Instead of relying on big fresh starts, we can use micro fresh starts—small, daily reset points that allow us to stay in motion. These bite-sized beginnings are just as powerful, and they happen all the time:
• The next morning
• The next meal
• The next gym session
This shift in mindset helps us stay focussed on our goals without being derailed by a “missed” fresh start.
Measuring Progress Differently
There are always going to be times when we get sidetracked from our goals—life happens.
The challenge is to see just how much we can shrink the time between “falling off” and getting back to it.
Let’s say you’re trying to build a consistent exercise habit. You start, fall off for a month, then give it another go. The next time you fall off, it only lasts two weeks. It might not feel like progress—but it is.
The time between efforts is shrinking, and the goal is to see just how small you can make those gaps.
By shifting our focus to the smallest next step, we reduce overwhelm, build momentum, and stop wasting time.
So… what could be your micro fresh start?