The Monday Reset

Happy New Year.

Monday morning is one of the most powerful psychological moments we have. It is when the brain is most open to new starts, new identities, and changes that feel possible. Not dramatic reinventions. Just beginnings.

Research from the University of Pennsylvania shows that New Year’s motivation is real, but it fades quickly unless change is built around small, repeatable resets rather than big resolutions.

This work, led by Wharton professor Katy Milkman helps explain why New Year’s resolutions so often fail. Not because people do not care, but because change runs into predictable obstacles.

She outlines several of them. I will spare you the full list, but three matter most as we start the year.

Starting is easy.
The calendar flips, motivation is high, the story sounds good.

Confidence wobbles.

A missed workout, a late night, one imperfect choice, and suddenly the narrative becomes, “I am not good at this.”

Ease and forgetfulness take over.
Life gets busy. Habits that require friction fade.

This is why resolutions break. Not because we lack willpower, but because we overestimate motivation and underestimate systems.

That insight aligns perfectly with how we think about healthspan at ResetRx.

Lasting change does not come from declaring a new identity on January 1. It comes from choosing small, evidence based resets and letting them compound.

Here is my New Year “Reset”.

In 2025, I successfully reduced my cholesterol by 20% using lifestyle optimizations, specifically what I eat but I still want to improve my overall metabolic health. I know that there’s more to do. Instead of trying to eliminate carbs or sweets entirely, I am changing when I eat them.

If I am going to have something carb-heavy or a small dessert, I am doing it at lunch instead of dinner, which had been my usual routine.

That’s it. One reset.

There is good science behind this. Earlier in the day, your body is generally more insulin sensitive. Muscles are more primed to use glucose for energy, and you are more active, which helps clear it from the bloodstream. Eating heavier carbs or sweets late at night can push blood sugar higher for longer and interfere with sleep and overall metabolic health.

This is not about restriction. It is about timing.

What I like about this reset is that it survives real life. I am not saying “never.” I am saying “earlier.” It removes friction instead of adding it.

And it does something else that matters. It builds confidence.

One reset is manageable.
One reset is repeatable.
One reset creates momentum instead of guilt.

A reset might be going to bed thirty minutes earlier.
It might be adding two short strength sessions a week.
It might be swapping one ultra processed snack for real food.
It might be finally measuring what is happening under the hood instead of guessing.

What matters is not which reset you choose. What matters is that it is small enough to survive a busy week.

The science is clear that healthspan is shaped by consistency, not extremes. Small actions, done often, change biomarkers. Changed biomarkers change healthspan trajectory.

This year, I am not asking you to reinvent yourself.

I am asking you to start with one reset.

Pick something that feels almost too easy. Something you can still do when motivation dips. Something that compounds quietly in the background.

That is how the long game is played.