Change Your Life This Year: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

What It Covers

Professor Katie Milkman from Wharton reveals seven research-backed barriers preventing behavior change: getting started, impulsivity, procrastination, forgetfulness, laziness, lack of confidence, and conformity. She provides evidence-based strategies to overcome each obstacle.

Key Questions Answered

• •Fresh Start Effect: New beginnings like Mondays, birthdays, or New Year's create psychological chapter breaks that boost motivation to start goals. Research shows 40% of Americans make New Year's resolutions, but fresh starts only provide initial motivation—sustained change requires additional strategies and concrete planning.
• •Temptation Bundling: Pair activities you need to do with pleasures you crave—like listening to audiobooks only at the gym. Research shows this strategy increased exercise frequency by 56% because it makes hard tasks instantly gratifying while time flies during workouts, creating sustainable habit loops through enjoyment.
• •Cue-Based Planning: Create specific plans answering when, where, and how you'll act. Studies show concrete plans dramatically improve follow-through because they trigger memory, create accountability, and eliminate vague intentions. Include if-then scenarios for unpredictable situations to maintain consistency despite obstacles.
• •Commitment Devices: Put money on the line that you forfeit if you fail to meet goals. Research with smokers showed access to self-imposed financial penalties reduced smoking rates by 30%. Even soft commitments like telling respected people about goals creates accountability through potential shame.
• •Coaching Others: Giving advice to someone slightly behind you on a goal increases your own success. Eight-minute advice-giving sessions improved student grades because it builds confidence, creates accountability, and triggers the saying-is-believing effect where you follow your own recommendations.