Given that so many New Year’s resolutions fail (mine included), I wasn’t sure it was worth the trouble this time around.
But I came across several pieces about goal-setting in the last couple of weeks (it is that time of year, after all) that helped me understand not only why New Year’s resolutions could be helpful, but also how leaders could apply the same approaches to any situation where we wanted to create new habits.
First, I listened to a Mel Robbins podcast episode featuring Dr. Katy Milkman, who discussed what she called the “fresh start effect.”
She spoke about the science behind why January 1st—or any Monday, or the start of a new quarter, or even a birthday—feels like a natural moment to begin something new. Our brains treat these moments differently. These ‘fresh starts’ help us let go of what didn’t work before and believe we can try again.
So, if our brains are wired to respond to fresh starts, maybe New Year’s is just one of many moments we can use strategically.
Then I read Angela Duckworth’s recent piece in the New York Times: “Willpower Doesn’t Work. This Does.”
If I’m being honest, I’ve always thought that if something felt hard, I figured that meant I wasn’t trying hard enough. But what Dr. Duckworth found in her research, which included interviewing some of the more disciplined people around, showed that:
“You do hard things more consistently when you put yourself in situations that make the pursuit easier.”
Dr. Duckworth emphasized that people who achieve the most aren’t grinding through with pure willpower. They’re designing their environments to work with them, helping them be more successful.
The Three E’s
Duckworth’s article crystallized more for me this morning when I listened to a meditation with Dr. Kelly McGonigal on habit formation. She broke down the factors that her research shows create better outcomes. She calls them the three E’s: environment, ease, and enjoyment.
Environment means creating reminders and supports around you. If you want to start running, put your sneakers where you’ll see them first thing in the morning. If you want more consistent one-on-ones with your team, block time on your calendar before the week gets away from you.
Ease means making it harder for you to say no. McGonigal suggests the “10 Minute Rule”—doing something for 10 minutes that’s consistent with your goal. And if 10 minutes feels like too much, shrink it down further.
Enjoyment is about bringing pleasure into the process. Work out in nature. Create an amazing playlist. Try something new with someone you care about. Find the part that doesn’t feel like a slog.
Connecting to Your Strengths
This all connects very nicely to strengths-based leadership development, in fact!
When you want to build a new habit as a leader—delegating more effectively, having those courageous conversations, creating space for strategic thinking—you will be more successful if you make it work for you, rather than just try to push through it with discipline. Using Dr. McGonigal’s language:
Set up your environment. Put the agenda template where you’ll see it. Schedule your thinking time when your brain works best. Create a physical space that supports the work you want to do.
Make it easier. Start with one conversation. Delegate one small task this week. Block 15 minutes for reflection.
Find the enjoyment. Do your strategic thinking somewhere that energizes you. Schedule in a short break after that difficult conversation. Celebrate the small wins along the way.
Dr. Milkman from the Mel Robbins podcast reminded me that fresh starts aren’t just about January 1st. They’re everywhere. A new team member joining. The start of a new quarter. A Monday after a rough week. Coming back from vacation.
So this week, given that it is the first week of January after all, think about a goal you’d like to set for yourself. And then ask: what would it look like to make it easier on yourself? To reach that goal not with willpower, but by setting up your environment, making it easier, and finding the enjoyment?
Let’s try it together. The next fresh start is already here.
