Why Your Willpower is Ghosting You This January
By the time January 1st rolls around, most of us are running on fumes, leftover mince pies, and the sheer adrenaline of surviving the Christmas period. I am still recovering from 90 school emails a week and the constant barrage of parent and business WhatsApp groups. Yet, we expect our brains to suddenly pivot into ‘High Performance Athlete Mode’.
January Reset
We put immense pressure on ourselves to launch new habits while our nervous systems are still recovering from Christmas Overwhelm. As business owners, our mental load is often doubled; we are balancing year end business accounts and growth strategies with the emotional labour of the festivities.
Research in neurobiology shows that willpower is a finite resource, a concept often called ego depletion. This theory, pioneered by Roy Baumeister, suggests that self control draws on a limited pool of mental energy. When your brain has spent weeks managing logistics, family dynamics, and intense year end deadlines, your prefrontal cortex (the area responsible for executive function and self-control) is effectively exhausted. Expecting it to perform perfectly on January 2nd is like asking a marathon runner to sprint a second race immediately after crossing the finish line without a glass of water.
The Science of the Fatigued Nervous System
Our nervous systems do not operate on a calendar year; they operate on a safety scale. Throughout December, many (like me) exist in a state of sympathetic nervous system activation, or our ‘fight or flight’. Between the sensory overload of social events and the pressure of hitting Q4 targets, our bodies are flooded with cortisol and adrenaline.
When the festivities end, we often experience a crash. This is our parasympathetic nervous system attempting to force a period of recovery. If we try to override this recovery phase with high pressure New Year resolutions, we create internal conflict. This internal friction increases our stress levels even further, making it nearly impossible to stick to new routines.
Why Small Wins Rule the Brain
Science shows that goals are significantly easier to maintain when they focus on the process rather than the outcome. When we set massive, high pressure goals, we trigger the amygdala (the brain’s fear centre). The amygdala is designed to protect us from change, which it often perceives as a threat. A goal like “I will revolutionise my entire business and fitness regime by February” sounds like a threat to a tired brain.
Conversely, micro habits or small daily wins teach your brain that change is safe. This releases dopamine, the reward chemical, which actually reinforces the neural pathways needed for consistency. This is supported by research into the brain’s reward system, showing that frequent, small successes are more addictive to the brain than one distant, large one. By focusing on tiny actions, you bypass the amygdala’s alarm system and keep the prefrontal cortex engaged without overtaxing it.
The Power of Process Over Outcome
In the world where we are taught to be goal oriented, the science of behavioural change suggests that outcome goals can actually be demotivating if they feel too far away.
Process goals (e.g., “I will send three outreach emails every morning”) provide a sense of agency and immediate satisfaction. According to research on self efficacy, the belief in our own ability to succeed is built through “mastery experiences.” These are small, successful completions of a task. Every time you tick off a tiny process goal, you are physically retooling your brain to believe that you are a person who follows through.
5 Science Backed Strategies for a Gentler January
- Shrink the Goal Until it is Ridiculous – Instead of “I will work out for an hour daily,” try “I will move my body for five minutes.” Backed by research on habit formation, making a task too small to fail bypasses the brain’s resistance. It removes the need for high levels of willpower, which we already established is currently in short supply.
- Prioritise Nervous System Regulation – One small action, like three minutes of deep diaphragmatic breathing, can shift you from fight or flight into rest and digest. This signals to your brain that you are safe. When the brain feels safe, it grants access to the prefrontal cortex, allowing your willpower to actually come back online. This is supported by Polyvagal Theory, which emphasises the importance of the vagus nerve in managing our emotional and physiological states.
- Focus on the How, Not the Wow- Shift your focus from the end result to the daily ritual. Studies in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) suggest that process oriented goals reduce anxiety and improve long term adherence compared to outcome heavy goals. If you focus on the “how” (the daily habit), the “wow” (the result) eventually takes care of itself.
- Use Implementation Intentions- Research shows that you are far more likely to achieve a goal if you use an “if-then” plan. For example: “If it is 10 am and I have finished my coffee, then I will spend ten minutes on my most important business task.” This takes the decision making out of the moment, saving your precious mental energy.
- Practice Radical Self Compassion- It might sound “fluffy,” (that I am sure you know, I am not) but self compassion is grounded in hard science. Research shows that people who practice self compassion are actually more motivated and likely to succeed than those who use self-criticism. High pressure and self-guilt trigger the release of more cortisol, which further depletes your willpower. Compassion lowers stress, keeping your brain in a state conducive to growth.
Consistency is built on safety and small victories, not the crushing weight of January expectations. Your business does not need a burnt out founder/leader; it needs a regulated, sustainable one. Give your nervous system a break, start ridiculously small, and watch how much further you go.
References and Further Reading
- Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. Freeman. (On the importance of mastery experiences for building confidence).
- Baumeister, R. F., et al. (1998). Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (The foundational study on willpower as a finite resource).
- Fogg, B. J. (2019). Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything. Penguin. (On why shrinking goals is the key to long term change).
- Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans. American Psychologist. (The science behind if-then planning).
- Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. William Morrow. (Research on why self criticism hinders achievement).
- Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation. Norton & Company. (Explaining the nervous system’s role in feeling safe).
Contact:
AV Wellbeing & AV Well.Hub Founder – Amy Huskisson
Email: amy@avwellbeing.co.uk