Here’s Why September Is the Perfect Month to Start a New Habit, According to Psychology
Tap into the power of the “fresh start effect” this coming month.
EXPERT OPINION BY MINDA ZETLIN, AUTHOR OF ‘CAREER SELF-CARE: FIND YOUR HAPPINESS, SUCCESS, AND FULFILLMENT AT WORK’ @MINDAZETLIN
September starts today. And it just might be your most successful month this year. This may sound like some first-day-of-the-rest-of-your-life pablum, but hear me out. There are real, psychological reasons why September may be the best time to finally tackle that big project, start a new habit, or make a big push into the business you want.
Psychologists have long noticed something called the “fresh start effect.” It’s the logic behind things like New Year’s resolutions. It also applies to things like big birthdays and other life milestones. When we cross what feels like a threshold in time, it can feel like we’re leaving our old selves behind–in a good way. Let’s say you’ve never been good at saving money. But now you’ve just turned 40. Suddenly, you’re a middle-aged person. Retirement is less like a mythical concept and more like something you may want to do sometime. Suddenly, saving money takes on a whole new significance, and you gain more discipline around it.
September is back-to-school time.
What does all of this have to do with September? For most of us, the month feels like a freshstart, perhaps even more than January does. Most of us spent at least 13 years, and maybe much more, heading back to school in or around September. That was our time to buckle down, learn new information and skills, and build our future success.
If you have children, that back-to-school date is still significant. It might be the day when you start have much more time to yourself because your kids are away from home for part of the day. Or it might be when you have to start a more organized morning routine to make sure they get there on time.
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September brings slightly cooler weather, which makes many of us feel more energetic. It can also bring an end, or at least a slowdown, in barbecues, music festivals, block parties, and all the other summertime events that can pull our attention away from work. And it’s the end of vacation season, when most people are back from their summertime travels.
Why September feels like a fresh start for me.
That last item is particularly significant for me this year. I’m leaving tomorrow for a five-day river boating trip in the Grand Canyon. It’s a trip a friend and I have been planning for almost a year. While I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, and I’ve spent the occasional afternoon white water rafting, I’ve never done anything like this before. From what I’ve read, the scenery is once-in-a-lifetime beautiful. I can’t quite imagine what it will be like to take this trip, or how I’ll feel afterward. But it very definitely feels like a threshold in time to me.
I already find myself making plans for things I’ll do better, differently, or more efficiently when I get back from this vacation. I know it will be the right time to make progress on some of my biggest goals. Even now, I feel energized by it. That’s how the fresh start effect is working for me.
Source: www.inc.com
