Many people are starting the year with a new regime. There will be new resolutions, new gym memberships, and money wasted on new remedies. Often, people start a new project or set of habits with lots of enthusiasm. It feels good. Something new. Yet, as we all know, the enthusiasm for the new way can quickly fizzle out.

That’s because most projects hit what we call The Dip. It’s also known in business as the Trough of Disillusionment (see Gartner Hype Cycle). This applies to everything from business projects, relationships, new gym regimes and diets. In the Dip, we start to question what we are doing. It has started to feel hard, and the initial enthusiasm has worn off.

And the temptation is to “start again”. Abandon it because it got too hard. Reboot. It feels good right? Well of course it does, because starting something new feels good.

So, what do we do about it? From management courses we learn that the best way to overcome the Dip is to have clear objectives and enough support to achieve them. Let’s apply this to the diet and gym.

When starting a new diet or gym regime, there are usually clear objectives. “I want to lose 10kg.” “I want a six-pack.” Extra support is not usually needed because the enthusiasm is there to get started. But then after a week or two, it starts to get hard. The enthusiasm disappears. But suppose you had the support of your partner, a friend or a personal trainer? Maybe that would get you through the Dip.

The key is to keep focused on your objectives. Get more support if you can, such as a personal trainer or a gym/diet buddy. Help yourself by removing food or drink from your house that won’t help. Disappear for a bit if friends are putting pressure on you to stray from your diet or routine. Hold yourself accountable by talking about what you are doing publicly. Once you are through the Dip, you can support yourself more. The new regime will become the habit.

Oh, by the way: I’m “starting again” this year, but with a diet and approach that I know will work. But really, I’m continuing what I was doing last year, but I will be much stricter.