Trick Yourself Into Creating a Fresh Start

How to get the feeling of a clean slate without a major event or life change

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It happens every year: With the turn of a calendar page comes a feeling of hope and opportunity, a renewed determination to tackle goals that have been on the back burner, plus some new ones for good measure. But then a month goes by, and then another, and that ambition slowly fades as you settle back into your ruts. And barring any huge change on the horizon, like a new job or a cross-country move, that’s likely where you’ll stay until a new year starts and the cycle repeats.

There is evidence that a clean break can be a powerful way to say goodbye to old habits; research has shown that shaking up our routines and circumstances can make it easier to enact positive changes. Behavioral scientists call it the fresh start effect—but thankfully, a growing body of research also shows that it’s not limited to the start of a new year or a big life event. To reap the benefits of starting over, we just have to recognize and leverage the opportunities around us.

The premise is this: Our brains register momentous dates, like the beginning of a new season, a holiday, or a birthday, as temporal landmarks, which can motivate aspirational behavior. Temporal landmarks disrupt the regular flow of our day-to-day…