The Hopeful Appeal of New Year’s Resolutions
Happy New Year!
Are you feeling it yet? That first-week-of-January energy? Because I kind of love it.
It’s this strange, in-between pocket of time, suspended between an ending and a beginning. Last year is officially done. A new one has started. And everywhere you look, there’s this quiet, collective determination to begin again.
Apps roll out fresh redesigns. New trends bubble up. Fitness routines make a dramatic comeback.
Even our sleep schedules suddenly get… ambitious.
Source: Fowl Language Comics
It feels like we’ve all been handed a clean slate. No?
A rare moment where past habits fade into the background — and even brands are invited to write themselves into whatever comes next.
It’s Monday, let’s?
In January every year, people don’t only feel different, they think differently.
We make resolutions and about 80% of people feel very confident that they can stick to their resolutions throughout the year.
I’ve always wondered why everyone waits until January to get fit.
Source: Pew Research
New Year’s resolutions are big promises we make to ourselves, real changes we commit to starting on a specific date.
And on the surface, a date shouldn’t change much. But, it actually does.
The psychology behind fresh starts
Researchers call this the Fresh Start Effect.
It’s the boost we get when a meaningful moment helps us mentally separate our past from our future.
These moments, called temporal landmarks, like January 1st, are more like a start line. They give us a chance to leave imperfections behind and imagine ourselves starting over with fresh energy.
There’s also a neuroscience angle: setting and pursuing goals triggers dopamine.
Even simply working towards a goal activates feel-good pathways in the brain. That’s why starting can feel good in itself.
And fresh starts make people unusually open — to new routines, new products, and systems that promise structure or relief.
Hello, fresh start
HelloFresh is a meal-kit subscription service that delivers pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes. You can choose your recipes and every week they deliver fresh ingredients in top quality and in suitable quantities home.
One of the biggest New Year shifts is how people want to change what they eat and how they think about food:
Source: Chicory
So if you look at it, HelloFresh actually just sells fresh starts with healthy habits in mind.
Here’s how it leverages the Fresh Start Effect all year long:
Weekly resets
Each delivery carries an implicit promise: “This week, we’ll do better.”
No long-term overhaul required. Just one manageable reset at a time.
Low-friction change
HelloFresh removes the hardest parts of making a change: planning, deciding, shopping.
You don’t change how you eat—you cook what arrives.
Immediate progress
Progress is tangible and fast: a cooked meal, a cleared plate, a completed week.
Commitment by default
The subscription does the heavy lifting.
Meals arrive whether motivation shows up or not. Skipping meals is what requires effort.
Identity reinforcement
Each successful week reinforces a new story: “We’re people who cook at home.”
What brands can learn from this
You don’t need to be a food or health brand to benefit from fresh starts.
People make resolutions every day—about productivity, finances, learning, relationships, creativity. Fresh starts are about change, not categories.
And brands can play a meaningful role in that change.
A few ways to do it well:
Choose timing intentionally
Delivery dates, onboarding flows, drop days—timing itself can act as a reset.
Design for follow-through, not hype
People don’t fail because they lack motivation. They fail because systems ask too much.
Watch the drop-off moments
Motivation dips fast. In fact, the second Friday of January is often called Quitter’s Day. That’s where support matters most.
Introduce change when people expect it
New features, formats, or tools land better during moments when users are already open to improvement.
Use visual refreshes wisely
Subtle redesigns can signal renewal—without disrupting trust.
Fresh starts don’t need to be dramatic. They need to be repeatable.
The brands that win in January don’t just sell transformation — they sell a way to begin again.
Now that you know, tell me: What is your New Year’s resolution? And is a brand helping you through it?
And with that, I want to say:
Cheers to 2026 🥂
How's the depth of today's edition?
As always, hit reply if something in here hits home.
See you next week,
Nithya
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