I’ve recently been reading How to Change, the best-selling book on the science of habit formation by University of Pennsylvania professor Katy Milkman, PhD ’09. It’s a wonderfully approachable presentation of the research into how people change their habits and the best ways to help others make changes. In it, Milkman describes her own experiences as a graduate student who needed to change her habits under the intense pressure of coursework. While not targeted at graduate students, the suggestions she offers for how to kickstart a change are applicable to the experiences of many.
The suggestion I want to share with you today is the idea of a “fresh start.” Milkman describes the research on fresh starts in chapter 1: “Getting Started.” The audiobook is excellent. Essentially, Milkman and her team were researching whether there are times when people are more susceptible to change, times when they respond better to a prompt to change. After all, we all know there are things we probably should do—walk more, cook at home instead of getting takeout—but we don’t always act on that knowledge. In fact, there is often the sense that we are “waiting for the right time” to get started on these habits we want to change.
Milkman’s research suggests that the right time to make a change is when you are confronted with a fresh start. This could be the obvious fresh start of a new year or new semester. However, what is exciting about Milkman’s research is she finds that you can actually create your own fresh start, meaning that if you can convince yourself that today is a fresh start, you are more likely to get started on that change you want to make. Some examples from her book include describing March 20 as the first day of spring (instead of the third Thursday in March), recognizing Monday as the first day of the week, or moving to a new office. Milkman notes that you can create the fresh start signaled by a move or a new office simply by changing your workspace—working in a new café or library can be a fresh start if you think of it that way.
You’ve probably already seen how the idea of the fresh start might apply to your writing habits. If you are trying to write more regularly, you can use a fresh start to help you get started. Choosing a date and framing it as your fresh start is a good place to begin, especially if you can choose a date that has some feeling already attached to it (the first day of spring, the beginning of spring break, or even your birthday). For example, you might decide, “starting from the first day of spring break I will write 300 words each day.” You don’t have to wait for the first day of spring to start changing though—any day can be a fresh start if you frame it as such.
The fresh start is traditionally about the beginning of a new habit or behavior, but in our writing lives I think it can also be used in our day-to-day experiences. If you are struggling to get started with your writing in the morning, why not use the beginning of one of the Fellowships & Writing Center’s Writing Oasis groups as a fresh start? As Milkman notes, changes in location and framing can be powerful signals of a fresh start. Try moving work locations during the day or thinking of the afternoon as a clean slate to give yourself a push. Underlying the idea of the fresh start seems to be the psychological switch of thinking of the present moment as a great time to get started and take action.
So, with that, today is Friday, the first day of the weekend, and I’m ready to tackle all those chores I’ve been putting off. After all, each day can be a fresh start. Perhaps today is yours too.
*Banner Image: Dodge Macknight, Pear Tree, Spring Hill, Barnstable, Massachusetts, Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, 1923.131.
