Ever Wonder Why Starting Something New Feels So Hard?
Whenever we face a brand-new challenge, it’s common to feel lost or unsure where to even start.
Whether it’s sticking to a fitness plan, learning a new skill, or breaking a long-standing habit, the beginning always seems like the toughest part.
Why is that?
Are we doomed to struggle again and again with these obstacles?
But here’s the twist: once we push through and keep going, it suddenly feels easier—almost like your effort drops, but your results keep going up.
This is thanks to a powerful psychological principle called the Flywheel Effect.
1. Why Do We Always Get Stuck at the Start?
Most people have experienced this:
Kicking off the year with huge fitness goals only to quit after a couple of weeks,
or swearing to learn a new language every day, but losing motivation after a few days.
So what holds us back?
Psychological research points to something called “startup cost.”
Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman explains that our brains love staying comfortable and avoiding change.
When we try to start something new or unknown, our brains send a subtle warning:
“This is going to be tough and unpredictable.”
Often, people quit before they even give themselves a real shot.
But is this an impossible cycle?
Not at all.
2. When Everything Starts Getting Easier — The Flywheel Effect
The concept of the Flywheel Effect comes from business strategy expert Jim Collins in his book Good to Great.
He compared an organization’s growth to pushing a huge flywheel:
At first, you have to push with all your strength and barely see results.
But as you keep pushing, the flywheel picks up speed—until it spins with just a gentle nudge.
Here’s the big idea:
The flywheel effect isn’t just for business.
It plays a crucial role in personal growth and habit change.
From the perspective of behavioral economics, this is the “cumulative effect.”
When you stick with a new action long enough, your brain starts rewiring itself—creating neural pathways that get stronger with repetition.
This means:
When you push past the dreaded “startup cost,” new activities slowly become habits, and take less and less willpower and mental energy.
Real Life Example
Think back to the first days of a gym routine.
It might feel awkward and uncomfortable at first, but after a few weeks, it gets so much easier—going to the gym starts to feel natural, almost automatic.
That’s the flywheel effect at work.
3. How Do You Keep Your Flywheel Spinning?
Now you know what’s happening—so how do you get the flywheel moving, and keep it running strong?
1. Small Goals, Big Wins
According to psychologist Albert Bandura and his theory of self-efficacy,
setting clear, manageable goals helps build your confidence and keeps you motivated.
When you reach a simple goal—even something tiny—your brain releases dopamine, giving you a “win” that makes you more likely to reach for bigger goals next.
2. Make Habits Stick
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg talks about the “habit loop”—each habit is formed by a cycle of cue, routine, and reward.
You can build the flywheel by creating cues (like a set time each day), and rewarding yourself after, so the action starts to feel automatic.
Small rewards for consistency (like a favorite song right after a workout or a treat after studying) signal your brain to keep going.
3. Train Your Willpower Like a Muscle
Roy Baumeister’s research shows that willpower is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets.
While you’ll need serious determination to start something new (push the flywheel), if you stick with it, each round of effort gets easier—until new habits take over and motivation is less of a struggle.
So that tough initial period? It’s the foundation for effortless progress later.
4. The Flywheel Effect in Real Life
The flywheel effect isn’t just for individuals—it works for teams and businesses, too.
- Team Example: When a new group starts working together, things can be awkward with lots of miscommunication. But as routines are set and trust builds, collaboration becomes smooth and productivity rises.
- Personal Example: Starting a new habit, like daily meditation, early rising, or language practice, feels hard at first. But as you keep going, you suddenly find that it takes little effort to keep the habit alive—the “flywheel” is powering your momentum.
At the end of the day, the flywheel effect helps you build positive behaviors that become almost automatic.
5. What This Means for Your Next Challenge
Whenever you face a new challenge, remember:
Starting may be the hardest part, but it will get easier.
Push through the slow, tough beginning.
If you do, you’ll find yourself moving faster with less effort—almost as if your own momentum is carrying you forward.
Your big breakthroughs may come just when you least expect them—thanks to the flywheel effect.
Reference,
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215.
Baumeister, R. F., & Tierney, J. (2012). Willpower: Rediscovering the greatest human strength. Penguin Press.
Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap... and others don't. HarperBusiness.
Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. Random House.
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
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