Why setting goals in September is better than setting them in January, and how this reset could give you the boost you have been waiting for and save your sanity at the same time.
There is power in pausing and resetting
As leaders, rather than just jumping in and taking action, one of the most powerful things we can do is to press pause, evaluate where we are, reset and then get going. Yes, it is another example of using the Applied Curiosity Cycle. This reset process is applicable at every level, but every now and then, we can all benefit from looking at our working worlds more holistically, and September is a great time to do that.
Have you ever wondered why September feels like a fresh start, even more than January does?
You know that feeling—the one where you suddenly want to buy new stationery, reorganise your office, and tackle those goals you've been putting off since spring. It's not just nostalgia for school days. September represents a mental and emotional shift for many of us, offering a renewed focus on routine, responsibilities, and preparation for the months ahead. And often we approach September feeling refreshed and rested from our summer.
Let's get curious about why embracing the new academic year feeling could be exactly what you and your business need right now.
Why September Is Your Business's Second New Year
January gets all the glory as "resolution season," and along with the glory comes the weight of expectations and all the pressure to plan perfectly for a new year. And I don’t know about you, but January is also the point in the year when I have the least energy to do the important thinking and planning that is needed. I’m not alone in proposing that September is a better time for refreshing your business and planning what to do next.
And when you think about it, this makes perfect sense.
For most of our lives, September has symbolised a new beginning—it doesn't matter if you graduated 20, 30, or 40 years ago. That conditioning runs deep, and we can harness it for our business advantage.
But there's more to it than childhood memories. January is often such a miserable time, where we have the post-Christmas blues, and the weather is darker, and days are literally shorter. In September, we're still enjoying the final embers of summer, so you may have the energy so making changes feels more manageable.
Think about your business right now. You've likely had some sort of summer change of pace and quite possibly a slowdown—whether that's fewer client meetings, team holidays, or simply a more relaxed pace. After the distractions and downtime of summer, September offers a chance to reset and refocus. There is a 'back to school' feeling as we settle into our work routines.
Yet we have all been there, back and caught up in the busyness of our day-to-day work and running around going nowhere like hamsters on a wheel before the end of our first day back!
That's exactly why making the most of the transition time and taking control of your September reset is so crucial.
Don’t January Resolutions Work?
Let's be honest about January for a moment. The statistics around New Year's resolutions are quite frankly shocking:
- Only 9% of Americans who make resolutions actually complete them (Ohio State University)
- 88% fail within the first two weeks (Baylor College of Medicine)
- 94% of people don't follow through on their resolutions, according to Dr. Michelle Rozen's 2023 survey of 1,000 people
Research conducted by Strava using over 800 million user-logged activities predicts that most people will give up on their New Year's resolution by January 19th, leading to the day being dubbed "Quitter's Day." because that's when people are most likely to abandon their goals.
But why is this happening? It's the fundamental flaws in how we approach setting goals in January.
The Reasons Behind Why January Resolutions Fail (And Why September Succeeds)
Research reveals several critical reasons why New Year's Resolutions are destined for failure. And while these reasons are focused on why our personal New Year goals fail, I see them paralleled in the business goals and aspirations our leaders set for themselves.:
1. Vague and Unrealistic Goals
Our New Year’s resolutions tend to be vague and unrealistic. We set goals to be healthier or happier or to earn more money without defining what we mean. When a goal is vague and we don’t know what is involved or what will be the result or reward for achieving the goal, our motivation and resolve soon go.
2. The All-or-Nothing Mentality
Another thing that dooms New Year goals to failure is the tendency to set them so they demand perfection and 100% adherence. The impact this has is that when we miss one thing, or slip on our resolution not to do something, even once, we feel like we have failed. When we view our success in terms of either success or failure a single setback can derail the whole goal, and the rigidity this creates can quickly lead to burnout. About the only thing we know for certain in our current economic climate is that setbacks will happen, and they won’t always be due to things we can control. When we approach our goals as a series of experiments and opportunities to learn, we set ourselves up to stay on course.
3. Grand Gestures Over Incremental Change
In the hyped up pressure of the New Year, we have a tendency to set ourselves wildly ambitious resolutions that require truly transformative change. While we can be very confident in them as we set them, the level of change required means this optimism is quickly followed by mounting frustration, struggle, panic and then failure. If we break the ambitious goals down into smaller, more manageable goals, we are more likely to be able to make those incremental changes
4. Rooted in external pressures, not genuine desire.
When we are focused on goals that matter to other people, we are way less likely to do what we need to do to achieve them. How many times do we hear people setting New Year's resolutions because it is something they have been told they should do? Well, in September, those ‘you should’s my still well be around, but you have a chance to set goals that actually matter to you - and take you to your definition of success
5. Poor Timing and Environmental Factors
January is simply a terrible time for habit formation. It's cold, dark, and follows a period of overindulgence and financial strain from Christmas. People are dealing with post-holiday blues when their energy and motivation are at their lowest.
Setting a goal alone is not enough. We need systems and structured support to achieve it. We know we are more likely to go to that exercise class or the gym if we have a plan to fit it in and someone we are meeting when we get there. The same is true of our business goals. Dr. Gail Matthews' Dominican University study showed that those who had written goals and structured weekly check-ins were 78% more likely to achieve their goals than those who did not.
September gives us the chance to address every single one of these failure points naturally
Why September Beats January Every Time
Better Weather and Energy:
Building habits like exercise or attending networking events is much easier and more motivating when the weather is better. Starting in September, when it's still warm and bright, gives you a significant advantage over starting in cold, dark January.
Natural Fresh Start Effect:
September is the start of a new academic year, a new season, and is a great time to set goals as we haven't quite hit the darker, colder days yet, making us more likely to build better habits in autumn than in the depths of winter.
Less Pressure:
Many people set goals in January, which can create a social comparison trap. Unlike January, September gives you space to focus on your own journey without competing with millions of others.
Business Timing:
September offers a prime opportunity to address lingering business issues and consider taking your operations to the next level. After the summer break, both business owners and employees return with a renewed sense of purpose—the exact opposite of the post-Christmas exhaustion that plagues January efforts.
Team Availability:
Unlike January, when everyone is easing back into work mode and dealing with post-holiday overwhelm, in September there has been a naturally staggered return and it is more likely that everyone will be available to put things into action straight away.
Using Applied Curiosity to Power Your September Reset
Now here's where we can make this reset really work for you. Rather than diving headfirst into new goals and strategies, let's apply my Applied Curiosity Model to create lasting change.
The Applied Curiosity Model follows a simple cycle: Research → Reflect → React. When we apply curiosity as a set of skills to a structured process, change becomes something we can develop and truly harness.
1. Research: What do you need to know for an effective September Reset
Let's get curious about where you actually stand right now:
- What were your goals at the start of the year, and where do you stand with them?
- What is working well for you?
- What has prevented your progress so far this year?
- What assumptions were you making about your business environment that have changed?
- What is making you more or less money than expected (or than before)?
- What challenges are your clients facing now that they weren't facing six months ago?
- How are you feeling about your business?
This isn't about judging yourself for what hasn't worked. If we consider that we have been conducting a series of experiments, we are just collecting the results so we can form a new and improved hypothesis and see how that goes.
It is important not to dwell on the things that haven't happened - take them into the next stage and reflect on why they did not happen - there may well be very good reasons, and once you have figured out why you are then in a position to decide if you should still pursue that part of the plan or if you should adjust your course. If you are feeling frustrated, you can use that to motivate this September Reset.
2. Reflect: Making sense of what you discovered
Now it's time to add context to what you've researched.
This reflection phase is crucial. It's where you connect your research to your aspirations, your past experiences, and what you're trying to achieve. Ask yourself:
- How does what I have found this year relate to what I have previously found?
- What links and themes can I see in what I discovered?
- How am I feeling about what I am noticing?
- Which things do I want to change?
- What could I do to change them?
- How could I take advantage of the current business environment?
- What matters most to me right now?
- What have I learned that I want to take forward into the next set of plans?
- What does your ideal end-of-year look like?
- What will make this year a success? What are the most important things to achieve?
- What would need to change for you to feel genuinely excited about the next quarter?
Don’t rush this phase, the answers may or may not come quickly. Journaling and making notes or mind maps may really help you in this phase. You also don’t have to go it alone, you could work on this with a coach, mentor or even a business buddy. And if you have a team, you could involve them.
3. React: Taking action that actually works
This is where the magic happens. Based on your research and reflection, it's time to create experiments you can implement immediately.
There are only really three questions to consider in the React Phase
- What hypothesis am I going to test this quarter and what results do I expect them to give?
- What actions are you prepared to commit to taking to test out the hypothesis?
- When am I going to take them?
It can be very tempting to overcommit and overcomplicate your action plan. Keep it simple, make a list of all the things you could do, pick the 3 that are going to make the biggest difference and then schedule time to do them. When they are done pick the next 3 and so on.
Your September Action Plan
So, are you ready to harness the power of a September business reset and approach the rest of the year with that back to school energy and excitement?
Here's an example plan to get you started:
Week 1: Research Phase
- Conduct an honest assessment of where you stand with your year-to-date goals. The questions above and in this download will help.
- Gather feedback from your team, clients, and stakeholders about what's working and what isn't
- Research what's changed in your industry or market since spring
Week 2: Reflect Phase
- Schedule proper thinking time (yes, actually block it in your calendar)
- Work through the key reflection questions above
- Identify your top 3 priorities for the remainder of the year. Consider getting the help of a mentor or coach for this.
Week 3: React Phase
- Create your action plan with specific, tangible tasks. Again a mentor or coach will be able to help you with this
- Communicate your renewed focus and direction to your team if you have one
- Set up accountability measures to keep yourself on track, and consider working with an Accountability Partner
Moving Forward: The choice is always yours
The beauty of embracing the academic year mindset is that it reminds us that learning and growth are continuous processes. Our motivation can be boosted with simple changes like a different office layout. Even new stationery can help, as we all remember from our school days!
You don't have to wait until January to make changes. You don't have to accept that this year's results are already written in stone. You have a choice right now about how you want to approach the next four months.
Remember, this isn't about perfection or dramatic transformation. It's about applying curiosity to understand your situation better, making conscious choices about what to focus on, and taking consistent action towards what matters most.
As I often say to the leaders I work with, you are the expert in your business. No one knows your situation, your challenges, or your opportunities better than you do. But sometimes we all need to step back, get curious, and make space to think about what we really want to achieve.
If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or simply want to make the most of these final months of the year, perhaps it's time to get curious about what's possible when you have the right support.
And yes, I have some things that can help you.
The Accountability Advantage could be exactly what you need to maintain momentum through your September reset. For just £30 per month, you'll have a dedicated accountability partner (me!) providing weekly check-ins, monthly focus sessions, and the tools to turn your good intentions into consistent results. You can read all about them here.
For more complex challenges, Curiosity Mentoring Sessions offer the chance to work through your specific situation with using the Applied Curiosity Model and benefiting from my 30 years of business leadership and leadership development. Whether you need a single breakthrough session or a longer-term accelerator programme, these sessions provide the space to think, plan, and act with confidence. You can read more about them here.
Or if you are looking to totally refresh your planning to build a solid foundation, ask me about my Steps to Success Planning Workshops - they will soon be available online!
The question I would like to leave you with
Your September reset starts with a single curious choice. What choice will you make today?
Curious to know more about a Reset with Bekka (September or otherwise!)
Book a call and let's chat
Quoted References:
Ohio State University, Lead Read Today. "Why Most New Year's Resolutions Fail." https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-most-new-years-resolutions-fail
Baylor College of Medicine. (2024). "New Year's resolutions: Why do we give up on them so quickly?" January 11, 2024. https://www.bcm.edu/news/new-years-resolutions-why-do-we-give-up-on-them-so-quickly
nc.com. (2020). "A Study of 800 Million Activities Predicts Most New Year's Resolutions Will Be Abandoned on January 19." February 6, 2020. https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/a-study-of-800-million-activities-predicts-most-new-years-resolutions-will-be-abandoned-on-january-19-how-you-cancreate-new-habits-that-actually-stick.html
Southern New Hampshire University. "What Are New Year's Resolutions and Do They Work?" https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/community/what-are-new-years-resolutions-and-do-they-work