Why New Year Motivation Fades — And What Actually Helps You Stick to Change

January 1st arrives with enthusiasm: new goals, fresh planners, aspirations of “this is my year” content. But by the end of the month, many of us notice something familiar: the motivation we started with is gone… even if our goals aren’t.

Motivation tends to spike when the old year comes to an end and a new year is approaching. We’ve grown to believe that every new year we should have ambitious goals that can be accomplished but at the right moment. Psychology shows that temporal landmarks — especially the New Year we create a sense of making change feel possible. This may often be called the fresh start effect (Langer, 2026)

National Institute of Health (2026) mentions that studies have shown that people are more likely to pursue aspirational behaviors following big moments that stand out in time, which may look like special celebrations (New Year’s, birthdays, first day of each month), life events (beginning a new job, ending a relationship, or even moving into a new city), personal milestones (graduating, anniversaries, buying a new home). These tend to create a connection within the brain that because we’re in a new state then something else should change.

The motivation that is created after big events tend to not follow through because of the decrease in habit/routine formation. When we begin New Year’s resolutions, they begin when we are still in the holiday season; because one is not used to this then once routine life returns, the emotional aspect of this change is not enough. Habits tend to take a few months to fully form and it’s about being consistent with it as well.

If you were to take anything out of this, it would be to begin with short-term goals and be specific with how you’re planning to reach this goal. For example, you may say “I want to walk at least 10 minutes each day to reach a total of 60 minutes by the end of the week.” This will help a person create discipline and form a habit that could become a long-term goal in the future. Sustainable change happens when motivation meets structure, reflection, and intentional momentum.

References:

Langer, A. (2026). A New Year is Powerful Because of the Clean Slate Effect. National Institutes of Health. https://www.training.nih.gov/oite-careers-blog/a-new-year-is-powerful-because-of-the-clean-slate-effect/