Today isn’t just any Friday, it’s Quitter’s Friday, the day when more people abandon their New Year's resolutions than any other day of the year. Only 18% of people report success with their resolutions by year-end, but what separates the successful few from everyone else isn't simply willpower.

This episode explores the psychology behind why resolutions fail so frequently and which research-backed methods actually work for building habits. You'll discover the "What the Hell Effect" and learn the pitfalls of all-or-nothing streak-style goals, where most reminder apps fall short, and the surprising role sleep plays in building lasting habits.

Whether you've already fallen off the wagon or you’ve maintained your resolution (for now), this episode arms you with tools to plot your own Quitter’s Comeback. Because day 9 of 365 is too soon to give up for good.

Links from the show!

Quitter's Day research data from Strava 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

Herman & Mack’s milkshake study (What the Hell Effect) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1975.tb00727.x

How sleep affects habit formation https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10374463/

Reminders should help you remember your trigger, not act as the trigger itself https://pure-oai.bham.ac.uk/ws/files/71165330/Investigating_the_Impact_IWC_2019_Final.pdf

Schedule text messages from your Gmail (it seems some carriers have shut these down, your results may vary!) https://blog.boomerangapp.com/2011/06/schedule-text-messages-from-your-gmail/

Got to-dos? Get GQueues! gqueues.com

Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com

Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com

Most people who make New Year's resolutions fail before February. But what if we told you that success isn't about willpower or motivation—it's about understanding how habits actually form?

In this episode, Alex and Moah break down (and argue about) the science behind New Year's resolutions, from ancient Babylonian festivals to modern Stanford research. Discover why Benjamin Franklin's centuries-old method still works, why"it takes 21 days to build a habit” myth is dead wrong, and the five-step framework that converts good intentions into lasting change.

Links from the show!

Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg: https://tinyhabits.com/

How to Change by Katy Milkman https://www.katymilkman.com/book

Habits take 66 days, not 21 days https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.674

Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7725288/

What are Americans’ New Year’s resolutions for 2025? https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/51144-what-are-americans-new-years-resolutions-for-2025

Got to-dos? Get GQueues gqueues.com

Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com

Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com

Is AI capable of revolutionizing your workflow? This episode examines what the technology is capable of doing and what still feels frustrating. From radically faster resume screening and meeting prep automation, to saving hours on research and making sense of dense docs, Alex and Moah reveal some “easy win” strategies that can start saving you time today. They also explore the jagged edges where AI still stumbles, helping you avoid some frustration.

Discover how built-in tools like Gemini and Copilot can instantly boost your team’s efficiency without any technical integrations. Hear candid talk on what automation can (and can’t) replace, differences in payoffs for seasoned vs. new employees, and practical prompts to ensure quality results. AI has improved significantly since ChatGPT was first introduced, so if you were let down by it before, now is a great time to give it another shot.

Links from the show!

MIT Productivity Study with ChatGPT https://economics.mit.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/Noy_Zhang_1.pdf

AI usage experiment with Customer Support https://academic.oup.com/qje/article/140/2/889/7990658

Jagged Frontier Experiment by Harvard Business School: https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/24-013_d9b45b68-9e74-42d6-a1c6-c72fb70c7282.pdf

Got to-dos? Get GQueues gqueues.com

Boomerang for Gmail boomeranggmail.com

Boomerang for Outlook boomerangoutlook.com