Do you use the “Fresh Start Effect”?

At the beginning of the year, do you also often think about goals, resolutions, and intentions? I do this every year—but honestly, with very mixed success.

Often you start with big resolutions, but after a few weeks everyday life returns—and with it the old patterns.

Recently, I read our own “Moving Mindset” newsletter by my colleague Zani Sharifi, and I thought: “I wish I had read this earlier…”

He explains very clearly what really matters: New Year’s resolutions are not a bad idea in principle—because they benefit from what psychologists call the Fresh Start Effect. Certain moments in the calendar, such as the start of a new year or a birthday, act like mental resets.

Researchers call these moments temporal landmarks. They help us separate our past behavior from what we want to do differently in the future. We create a clear break from our “old self.” Past mistakes are assigned to the past. This gives us the feeling of a fresh start—and the belief that change is possible.

Another effect is that at the beginning of the year we tend to focus more on the bigger picture. We are less trapped in everyday routines and more able to reflect and focus on the big picture.

So the start of the year is actually not a bad moment for change. What matters, however, is how we formulate our goals.

A large study from 2020 followed more than 1,000 people with New Year’s resolutions.

The result: People who set approach-oriented goals were significantly more successful than those with avoidance goals(Oscarsson et al., 2020, PLOS ONE).

For example:
“I want to exercise more” works better than “I don’t want to be so lazy anymore.”

Another study (Höchli, Brügger & Messner, 2020, Applied Psychology) suggests that besides the how, the why is also crucial for goal setting.

It showed that people invest more energy and stay committed longer when they can answer two questions:

1. Why is this goal important to me?
2. How will I implement it concretely?

The why refers to meaning and personal significance. The how describes concrete steps for implementation. Thinking only about the meaning is not enough. Defining only the actions is not enough either. Only the combination increases the likelihood of achieving a goal.
So what can we learn from this?

The start of the year can spark motivation—but it does not replace clear goal setting. Goals should be framed positively and provide direction, rather than simply demanding restraint. And a goal becomes much more tangible when the why is connected to concrete steps for action.Dieser Beitrag wurde von Wolfgang Jenewein am 14.01.2026 auf LinkedIn veröffentlicht.