Why is TikTok in a tizz over October?

by Jenna Berndt

Here we are, perched in the middle of October, and I can't help but wonder: have you felt that shift in the air? No, I'm not talking about the weather (although, let's be honest, Cape Town's spring winds are certainly making themselves known). I'm talking about the phenomenon that's got TikTok in a tizzy – the 'October Theory.'

Now, before you roll your eyes and mutter something about yet another social media trend, hear me out. There might just be something to this one. With over 36 million posts on TikTok , the #OctoberTheory has quickly become an internet sensation.

The gist? October is being hailed as the new January. A time for fresh starts, goal-setting and general life-sorting. It's like someone's hit the reset button on the year, giving us all a last-minute, second chance at those New Year's resolutions we abandoned probably somewhere around the end of January.

Start a habit now, and by the time January rolls around, you'll be 90 days in. That's well past the often-quoted (but slightly misunderstood) 21 days it supposedly takes to form a habit.

In fact, let's bust that myth wide open. James Clear, author of "Atomic Habits” and a bit of an icon here in the Big Ambitions digital office, has dug into how long does it actually take to form a new habit (backed by science). Clear reports that in a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology ,?researchers found that on average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behaviour becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And it can vary widely, from 18 to 254 days, depending on the person and the habit.

As Clear puts it, "Understanding this from the beginning makes it easier to manage your expectations and commit to making small, incremental improvements — rather than pressuring yourself into thinking that you have to do it all at once." So, October gives you a nice head start.

But why might we be more inclined to dust off those resolutions in October? Psychologists point to the "fresh start effect " associated with temporal landmarks and also the fact that our behaviour can be influenced by seasonal changes . For those of us in the Southern Hemisphere, we're shaking off the winter blues and embracing the energy of spring. Historically, springtime was a period of abundance after a scarce winter, inspiring a mental shift towards setting new goals and embarking on fresh projects. Research by Meyer et al. (2016) found that cognitive function, particularly sustained attention, tends to peak around the summer solstice. Interestingly, working memory performance peaked around the autumn equinox. This variability in cognitive function across the year might explain why October feels like such a potent time for change and growth.

Now, here's a game-changer for your October reset: habit stacking . James Clear introduces this concept as a powerful way to build new habits by linking them to existing ones. The formula is simple: "After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]." For instance, "After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute." This method takes advantage of the neural pathways you've already established, making it easier to stick to new behaviours.

Whatever your October goals might be, remember this: change doesn't happen overnight. It's about small, consistent steps. And if you stumble? Well, as James Clear would say, treat failure like a scientist. Give yourself permission to make mistakes and develop strategies for getting back on track quickly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some October goal-setting to do. After all, why should January have all the fun?

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