{"id":13605,"date":"2026-08-22T00:07:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T04:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/why-september-is-the-other-january-and-how-to-take-advantage-of-this-clean-slate\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T00:07:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T04:07:57","slug":"why-september-is-the-other-january-and-how-to-take-advantage-of-this-clean-slate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/why-september-is-the-other-january-and-how-to-take-advantage-of-this-clean-slate\/","title":{"rendered":"Why September Is the Other January, and How to Take Advantage of This Clean Slate."},"content":{"rendered":"

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A previous version of this article appeared August 20, 2020<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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New Year’s Day isn’t the only time for a restart. Back-to-school season, or just getting back to your normal routine after summer, is a terrific time for a fresh beginning. That’s why September is the other January<\/strong>\u2014a clean slate, a chance to use new pencils, fresh notebooks, and start again.<\/p>\n

In fact, in my book Happier at Home<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, I did a happiness project that stretched from September to May, to take advantage of September’s atmosphere to make my home a happier place.<\/p>\n

September feels like a good time to make a new push.<\/strong> Orange is the new black, breakfast is the new lunch, Monday is the new Thursday, sitting is the new smoking, self-expression is the new entertainment, and September is the other January.<\/p>\n

January is the official start of the new year, and I always get a burst of renewed zeal at that time, but here in the United States, for me, September also gives the same feeling of an empty calendar and a clean slate<\/strong><\/a>. The air seems charged with possibility and renewal.<\/p>\n

Back-to-school is a time of self-evaluation and reflection\u2013and also a time when I feel the urge to clean out my office.<\/p>\n

What’s the Strategy of the Clean Slate?<\/h2>\n

In Better Than Before<\/a><\/em>, my book about how we make and break our habits, I identify the 21 strategies we can use to master our habits. One helpful strategy is the “Strategy of the Clean Slate<\/strong><\/a>.”<\/p>\n

When we go through a big transition, old habits get wiped away, and new habits form more easily.<\/p>\n