04/09/24

Too cool for back to school? Don’t be a fool!

As September brings ‘Back to School’ season, it’s got us thinking about how organisations can use the idea of fresh starts to make positive behaviour change more successful.

By Heather Mayne

Picking a good time to prompt change

There are certain times in life where we are particularly open to behaviour change. We’re all familiar with the idea of New Year’s resolutions, whether we choose to flout the ‘new year, new me’ trends, or jump on the bandwagon with the ‘ins and outs for 2025’.

Research suggests that the work of the ‘The Fresh Start Effect’ is at play here. This is the idea that at temporal landmarks like the New Year, a birthday, a move to a new house or heading back to school, people are more motivated to change.

These are all times when we reflect and think about things we want to do differently and look at that bigger picture. These moments mark the passage of time, giving us renewed motivation and a sense that we can achieve what we set out to do. At these times, we don’t want to mess up our clean slate, and are more likely to be instilled with a supercharged desire to change to achieve our goals. A pretty handy piece of information to keep in mind for those of us wanting to achieve behaviour change right?

In a work context, this is a valuable insight for supporting change too. By understanding when your colleagues are most open to change, you can time campaigns strategically and super-charge your efforts for rolling out change.

Perhaps the right time to talk to someone about career progression and goals is after they’ve come back from a holiday, or taken their kids back to school. Or if you plan to implement collective change, such as new ways of working, maybe the new year is a good time for it.

Maintaining momentum

But the desire to change alone is not enough. Sure, it’s a great place to start but we can’t just expect change to happen without a plan. ‘Fail to plan and you plan to fail’. We must set ourselves and employees up for success to positively change behaviour and sustain it.

So, what can you do to help sustain the momentum you’ve kickstarted from harnessing ‘The Fresh Start Effect’? Unfortunately, there is no magical quick fix, and deep down you probably already know what I am going to say:

• Break down the broader aspiration into smaller milestones
• SMART goals *Shivers go down my spine as I am transported back to A-level Business Studies*
• Hold yourself and colleagues accountable (for long enough for the habit to form)

A one hit wonder won’t be enough. It needs backing up and reinforcing. Think reminders, nudges and a campaign approach.

Hear from the experts

In Episode 4 of the ‘Speak to the Human’ podcast, we go into more detail with behavioural scientists Katryn Wright and James Elfer on how we can use these insights to influence and sustain change, and they share examples of where using ‘The Fresh Start Effect’ has been effective. You can listen now here or on your preferred streaming platform.