Getting Back Into the Swing of Things: Why January Feels Hard.

The first weeks of January always carries a strange weight.

On the surface, everything looks reset. New year. Clean calendar. Fresh start.
Internally, it’s conflicting and feels like the opposite.

You wake up tired. Motivation feels delayed. Focus comes in short bursts. There’s a subtle pressure to be back - productive, disciplined, energised even though your system hasn’t caught up yet.

I feel it every year. And so do the majority of others. Even athletes, leaders, and high performers I work with. People who normally operate with clarity suddenly find themselves questioning why things feel harder than they should.

That discomfort usually sends people straight into the same trap.

They zoom out too early.

The big-picture trap.

January has a habit of pushing us into big questions:

• What do I want this year to look like?

• Am I heading in the right direction?

• What needs to change?

They’re great questions - just badly timed.

When routine is broken, big-picture thinking doesn’t inspire. It overwhelms. It creates pressure without traction. You end up thinking a lot and moving very little.

I’ve been there. Sitting at my desk, trying to manufacture clarity before I’ve even rebuilt rhythm.

Here’s what a few bites at the cherry has taught me.

Clarity doesn’t come from thinking first.
It comes from moving first.

Why quick wins matter more than motivation in January.

Motivation is unreliable in the first week back.

Your nervous system is recalibrating. Your habits are out of context. Your energy is inconsistent. Expecting sustained motivation at this point is unrealistic - and unfair.

This is where quick wins become non-negotiable.

Low effort.
High return.
Immediate feedback.

Quick wins aren’t about lowering standards. They’re about rebuilding belief.

From a psychological perspective, small achievable actions create mastery experiences - the strongest driver of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997). In simple terms, when you do something and it works, your brain updates its story about what you’re capable of.

Once the brain gets a flavour of success, effort feels safer to invest. This is why quick wins move the needle faster than inspiration ever will.

Take a second:
What’s one small action today that would create momentum without draining you?

The sequence that actually rebuilds momentum.

Here’s the framework I keep coming back to, and teaching - because it works in the real world:

1. Quick wins first
2. Higher effort next
3. Big picture last

Most people reverse this order.

They start with vision.
Then force effort.
Then wonder why nothing sticks.

Quick wins narrow focus. They reduce cognitive load. They create movement without overwhelm. Repetition is what strengthens habits and restores automaticity (Lally et al., 2010; Wood & Rünger, 2016).

Once those wins stack, confidence lifts. Energy stabilises. Effort stops feeling like punishment.

Only then does the big picture become useful again.

Consider this:
Am I trying to think my way forward when I actually need to act my way forward?

Non-negotiables: how to get back to baseline fast.

When January feels off, it’s rarely because you need a new strategy.

More often, your baseline has slipped.

Sleep is inconsistent.
Movement is sporadic.
Meals are reactive.
Days blur into nights.

These aren’t performance problems - they’re foundation problems.

Stable routines play a critical role in emotional regulation, decision-making, and sustained behaviour change (Wood & Rünger, 2016). When foundations wobble, everything feels heavier than it needs to be.

When I’m rebuilding momentum, I strip things back to non-negotiables:

• A consistent wake-up time

• Some form of daily movement

• A clear start and finish to the day

Not perfect routines.
Not aspirational habits.
Just what brings me back to baseline.

Strip it back:
What are my true non-negotiables right now - the ones that stabilise me, not impress me?

The piece most people skip: acceptance.

Before momentum returns, there’s usually something that needs acknowledging.

Time away.
Disrupted routines.
Lower output.
Missed sessions.

If you carry judgement about that into January, it quietly shapes how you show up. 

Patience shortens. Self-talk hardens. Progress feels slower.

Acceptance doesn’t mean complacency. It means recognising reality without fighting it.

From an applied psychology lens, acceptance reduces unnecessary emotional struggle and frees up energy for action (Hayes et al., 2011).

Ask yourself:

• What did that time over Christmas give me?

• What did I need more than I realised?

• What deserves appreciation rather than criticism?

Integration creates stability. Stability supports momentum.

Glass half full:
What part of the last few weeks needs acknowledgment rather than judgement?

When higher effort starts to feel right again.

Once quick wins are stacking and foundations are back, effort shifts.

Tasks that felt overwhelming start to feel manageable.
Focus lasts longer.
You negotiate with yourself less.

This is where higher-effort work belongs - not at the start, but once your system is ready.

Gradual increases in effort lead to more sustainable behaviour change than abrupt overhauls (Lally et al., 2010). Momentum responds better to patience than pressure.

Step in:
What’s one higher-effort task that now feels possible - not urgent, just possible?

Letting the big picture earn its place.

Only after movement, effort, and rhythm return does the big picture earn its place again.

Now it’s grounded in reality.
In what you’ve sustained.
In what’s felt aligned.

Big-picture thinking without action is fantasy.
Big-picture thinking after action is strategy.

Motivation research consistently shows that clarity and autonomy emerge through action, not before it (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

Big picture thinking:
What does the bigger picture look like now that I’m moving again - and how is it different from before?

Final thought.

Getting back into the swing of things isn’t about reinventing the wheel.

It’s about sequencing.

• Quick wins to restore movement.

• Non-negotiables to stabilise.

• Effort layered patiently.

• Perspective woven throughout.

You don’t need to know exactly where you’re going in the first weeks of January.

You just need to start - deliberately, realistically, and with enough compassion to let momentum do its work.

References.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.

de Bloom, J., Kompier, M., Geurts, S., & Taris, T. (2009). Do we recover from vacation? Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 14(2), 221–235.

Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2011). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed? European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press.

Wood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of habit. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 289–314.

Verywell Mind. (2022). How long does it take to form a habit? https://www.verywellmind.com