04 / What's the fresh start effect?
Clean slates, big pictures and vulnerability
Welcome to Issue 04.
Hey team. Happy 2023. I normally dread the beginning of January (read: the culture around quick self-help fixes and building yourself anew with resolutions, blah blah blah). Though, I’ve got to say, I’m pretty excited for this new year (and I’m sure many of you share that sentiment). That’s not to say I don’t think it can still be farfetched in how it’s marketed, but I do think there’s merit in leaving that cynicism at the door and looking at a new year as an opportunity. Let’s talk about that.
The fresh start effect.
The fresh start effect is essentially a term to describe the phenomenon where we feel more motivation to embrace change at the start of a “new epoch,” or significant point in time. Back in 2014, this team of researchers published an article in Management Science that basically tried to dissect what it is about New Year’s resolutions that creates such motivation to tackle our goals. What’s interesting is that a fresh start can occur at really any arbitrary timepoint. Think about it: birthdays, moving dates, baptisms to be “born again.” Every day is just another day, yet we can dissect the context of a specific day to give us a clean slate to, well, do whatever we want. The lingering question is: why?
What is going on in our noggins that gives way for the fresh start effect? In the article, two explanations are given: (a) that these points in time separate our lives into distinct periods that our minds can grasp, which means that any past imperfections can be locked away in a previous period, and (b) that they promote a focus on the Big Picture. I want to focus on this second explanation for a little bit.
The big picture.
When we attribute meaning to these points of time like New Year’s, think of it like creating chapters in an otherwise single-chapter book. It’s like when you’re watching a movie, and it fades to black after a scene ends, allowing you to pause and think about the full story. This sort of disrupts the groove that our minds naturally get into. It’s a wake-up call to think about things within a broader context. What kind of story am I even telling? Where am I, and where am I going next?
When we talk about New Year’s, people are usually on one of two sides: the “I’m-going-to-change-my-life” over-commitment side, and the “oh-my-god-new-year’s-is-so-full-of-shit” anti-resolution side. But, perhaps there’s value in thinking about New Year’s (and fresh starts in general) somewhere in the middle. Maybe it’s okay to see New Year’s as an opportunity to re-evaluate what’s important to you and focus on that, and also think about what is attainable and sustainable.
I think the fresh start effect is especially powerful for creatives because it gives our systems the restart it needs to feel invigorated by our environments, especially when we may be feeling artistically blocked.
Music to your ears.
As motivated (or not) as you may be about your New Year’s goals, it’s important to keep an eye on the little devil that is seasonal depression during the winter season. Check in with yourself this month. Get some sunlight. Call your loved ones. Listen to music that makes you happy. Here’s what makes me happy:
Things I’ve been into:
how we feel →
I know, there’s a lot (perhaps too many) of journalling apps on the market. But this one is so simple and easy to integrate into your day-to-day life. It’s also beautifully designed, which is a must for me. It’s led by the co-founder of Pinterest, backed by a research team at Yale University, and completely free thanks to donations.
Todoist →
I caved and paid for the premium plan of this task manager app. It’s beautiful, smart, and motivates me to stop being a chronic procrastinator. If the free to-do list on your phone does the job for you, stick with it. I just like this one because basically illustrates and compartmentalizes tasks the way my brain thinks of them (I’m a visual learner to a fault).
Automatoys →
This pinball-slash-marble-track-race game makes me feel like a “got any games on your phone” kid in the best way. It’s such a simple game, but I played it all in one go because it’s simple, addicting, and beautifully designed.
Artist you should know: Tracey Emin
Born in 1963, Tracey Emin is a British multi-media artist known for her highly vulnerable and intimate artwork. I featured Tracey in a TikTok a few months back, but I wanted to bring her over to this world, because I think she’s incredible.
The most beautiful thing is honesty, even if it’s really painful to look at.
