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Start Your New Year’s Goals in October
It’s a perfect time to do a test run of the goals you want to pursue for 2026…
This is an interesting phenomenon that I’ve been reading about lately. It seems like as we’re getting towards the end of the year, most people start saying “I’m just going to wait until January to change my life”.
October is actually the best month to start. It’s not like there’s anything magical about January. According to statistics, 23% of January resolutions are done by January 7th and another 45% are down the drain by February 1.
October is the sleeper month for setting goals and resolutions. It’s that kind of psychological sweet spot in the year that gives you an opportunity to launch into 2026 ahead of the game.
A researcher at Google found that terms like diet, starting a new exercise routine and quitting smoking were most likely to be googled in the beginning of a new week, the beginning of a new month and (you guessed it) the beginning of a new year.
This is a phenomenon known as the “fresh start effect”. It’s our tendency to want to change or pursue new goals based on indicators that one time period is ending and a new time period is beginning. Think a new month, a new week, a new year for yourself like your birthday or a different…
