Why You Don’t Need to Wait Until January to Start
We’re at the beginning of October. The nights are drawing in, the days are getting shorter, there’s definitely an autumnal vibe in the year and for many people, this time of year can feel a bit like a write-off. It becomes tempting to say “I’ll start again in January”.
But here’s the thing: October to December is still three whole months (it’s the same as New Year to Easter). That’s plenty of time to build momentum, make progress and enter the new year already moving forward.
So why wait until January to start on your goals? What’s going to magically change about future you that will mean that you can ace your goals then, if you can’t do it today?
The myth of the “magical” 1st January
I’m sorry to tell you this, but there’s nothing special about 1st January, despite all the fuss about New Year’s Resolutions we have each year.
Research shows that around 23% of resolutions are abandoned by the 7th of January and nearly half are dropped before February begins.
That’s not because people aren’t capable, it’s because they pin all their hopes on a date, rather than building small steps beforehand. They think everything will be different because it’s the start of a year, rather than because they’ve worked on themselves.
The truth? A fresh start can happen any day of the year and it should.
The “fresh start effect”
Behavioural scientists talk about something called the “fresh start effect.” A researcher at Google found that people are most likely to Google terms like diet, exercise routine, or quitting smoking at the start of a new week, month, or year. These moments are called temporal landmarks) and can feel like a clean slate.
January 1st is one. But so is:
The start of a new season.
The first day of school.
A birthday.
The beginning of a new quarter.
This is what makes October a great time to start. It’s a new season, a new quarter and there’s the end of the year looming, meaning we’ve got a deadline in sight. It’s a perfect moment to pause, reflect and reset.
Why waiting doesn’t work
Here’s the catch: when you push change into the future, your brain plays tricks on you.
How often have you thought something like “I’ll start my diet in January, so I might as well enjoy all the snacks now and get them out of the way?” You believe that future you will have everything in place and under control so that the diet will start perfectly and you won’t want any more snacks, simply because the date has changed. This is called delay discounting. Unfortunately when January comes, the same barriers are still there, the diet is still hard.
If you wait, you’ll also miss out on the goal gradient hypothesis. This tells us we actually put in more effort the closer we feel to a finish line. With the end of the year approaching, you’re more likely to work harder if you set a goal now than if you delay until January. Think about it - how often do you suddenly realise the deadline’s coming and start putting in extra effort? The same applies here.
Why starting now helps
Imagine yourself on 1st January. Would you rather be at the starting line, trying to figure it out when you’re exhausted from Christmas? Or already 90 days into building the habits you want?
If you start now, you give yourself:
Three months of progress instead of three months of waiting.
Confidence — self-efficacy grows when you gather small wins. But you can’t collect wins if you don’t try.
A head start — when January comes, you’ll already know what works and what doesn’t. These next few months are the perfect time to experiment and find your rhythm.
A different way to see October–December
Instead of treating these months as a dead zone, why not see them as a testing ground?
Try out the routines and goals you think you’ll want in 2026.
Experiment with ways of tracking your progress.
Notice what feels right and what doesn’t.
By January, you’ll have clarity, momentum and confidence, rather than just another list of resolutions destined to fade.
The last three months of the year aren’t wasted time unless you choose to waste them. They’re 90 days of opportunity to gather small wins, experiment with what works, and step into 2026 already moving forward.
Don’t pin your hopes on a version of you that doesn’t exist yet. Do the work now to make that person real.
If you’re ready to stop waiting for the “perfect time” and actually start building momentum, there are two ways I can support you:
💬 1:1 Coaching – if you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to start, I offer personal coaching to help you get clear on what you want and create practical steps that work in real life. You’ll have me in your corner as you move from overthinking to actually getting things done.
👯 The Coaching Circle – a supportive membership where you’ll get weekly goal setting, check-ins, virtual co-working and a community to keep you moving forward. Perfect if you want gentle accountability and a boost of motivation each week.
✨ Whichever option feels right, you don’t have to do this alone and future-you will thank you for starting today.
