Why Monday is the best day for a fresh start

If you are looking forward to changing something in your life or at work, but you just cannot find the right starting date, Monday is the best day for a fresh start. Learn why.

I was not waking up every day willing to start my day, I was not as fulfill as usual with my job We had recently moved to a new city, in a new country… I even moved to a bigger house, with a bigger office! But still I was not fully adapted, I started to miss my old life. That wasn’t healthy for me or my family. I still needed to make some changes to really enjoy my new life. I needed to change my perception of my new life. For some reason, I decided I was going to start changing my perception later one day. I decided it was going to be the first Monday of June. That… is TODAY!

You are probably also choosing today Monday to start a diet, start a project or join the gym, aren’t you? Yes. Do not worry, you are not just procrastinating, don´t punish yourself! It is OK. We usually postpone the start of major changes, but once we find a good starting date, we can make it happen. And there is a scientific reason to do so. Let me tell you about it.

The Psychological Science journal reported that people are more likely to meet their objectives if they are planned to start on a Monday or the first day of the month, or at some point in time when there is a temporary milestone. 3 different studies conducted by Hengchen Dai (Washington University in St. Louis), Katherine Milkman and Jason Riis (University of Pennsylvania) explain that people are motivated to meet an objective on certain dates. Any day of the week is NOT the same. Really?

Fresh start dates

The dates that are most significant for a person such as a birthday, new year, a new quarter, generate greater commitment. The person gives greater importance to the decision, and it makes them feel like it is a new beginning, a “fresh start”. A possibility to fulfill what they had planned in the past and could not achieve. A dissociation between the present and the past of the person is generated. In this way, one can attribute the failure to fulfill an objective to the “ME” of the past and be better prepared to fulfill it being the “NEW ME”.

These “temporal landmarks” make it easier for people to mentally separate from their past imperfections and failures

In the same way, for example, in religions, confessing a sin is also a way to start over. The opportunity to start over is a way to promote self-improvement, motivation, and self-discipline in individuals.

The most significant dates turn out to be, in this order: first day of the year, the first day after a national holiday, and Monday, the first day of the week. It is also more common to choose dates closer to the beginning of the year or beginning of the month than at the end.

Normally, people tend to leave for later on the fulfillment of objectives or the start of new activities, so knowing on what dates you will be more prone to actually start them, there are more chances you will help you and your team to actually fulfill them effectively.

It is also possible to “force” a fresh start in case we feel overwhelmed with work or unmotivated (like I did!). We can generate it with a trip, a move or a celebration that generates a new milestone in our life.

Summarizing, we can take advantage of the idea of the “fresh start” or new beginning to have more possibilities to realize our objectives and help our team to meet theirs as well. Now I moved, I will start today with a new “me”, a twist to my life. What about you?

Luciana Paulise

Business Coach & Author

Owner Biztorming Training & Consulting

@lupaulise