The Power (and Pitfalls) of a Fresh Start: How to Use Psychological Clean Slates to Your Advantage (TPS594)

Have you ever wondered why we’re so motivated on January 1st but lose steam by February? In this episode, we dive into the “Fresh Start Effect” from Katy Milkman’s book How to Change.

We explore how psychological clean slates—like Mondays, birthdays, or even a new notebook—can reset your identity and boost motivation. However, fresh starts have a hidden downside: they can actually derail high performers. We’ll show you how to strategically time your resets and use environmental changes to unlock new behaviors without losing your hard-earned momentum.

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Visit asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

Cheat Sheet:

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• 📚 Top 3 Productivity Resources
• 🧠 Why certain moments in your life make change *dramatically* easier—and how to spot them [05:18].
• ⚠️ When a “fresh start” can actually backfire and slow you down [23:10].
• 🚀 How to engineer your own fresh start—without waiting for January 1st [27:47].

Links:

• Shopify
• DripDrop
• 25X Productivity Coaching
• How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman
• Logitech G915 X Lightspeed Keyboard
• Glocusent Book Light
• How to Stop Worrying and Start Living — Dale Carnegie
• Productivity Academy
• The Productivity Show on Youtube
• The Productivity Show Youtube Clips
• Become a member of TPS+
• Take the Productivity Quiz

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