Novelty Cliff · also called the week-two wall
why do I always quit around the second week
The novelty cliff is the specific point, roughly one to two weeks into a new commitment, where the initial thrill of starting has worn off but the results are not yet visible enough to carry you. Most people quit exactly here, then mistake the timing for proof the plan itself was wrong.
Day one is not the test. The test is the ordinary Tuesday nobody is watching, ten days later.
What to do about it
Mark day ten through day seventeen on your calendar before you start anything new, and treat any urge to quit in that window as the schedule working as expected, not a sign to stop.
Books that work on this
Each is a 90-day programme. Start with the first — later books assume the work in the earlier ones.
Lose Loud Once$6.99
Show Up Anyway$6.99
The New Name$6.99
Quit Negotiating With Yourself$6.99
Stop Performing ProductivityComing soon
The Second Chapter$6.99
The New Standard$6.99
The Two AM$6.99Part of the Comeback series.
How people say it
Nobody looks this up by its clinical name. These are the ways it actually gets said.
- why do I always quit around the second week
- the excitement of starting something new always wears off fast
- I lose interest right when it stops being new
- why does week two feel so much harder than day one
- I quit right before I would have seen results
- the honeymoon phase of a new habit always ends the same way
- why did I feel amazing on day three and awful on day twelve
Written by Brian Spiker, who has run Spiker Carpet and Tile Care since 2013 — the receipts. More terms in the encyclopedia.