A few years ago, I decided to run three miles every single day in January.
I hadn’t run for years, but I thought, “Easy. Three miles. I’ve got this.”
The first five days were incredible. I had one of those motivational podcasts on, endorphins were flowing.
I felt like I’d cracked it. Like I’d unlocked some secret to life.
I remember thinking: “Why haven’t I done this sooner?”
Then week two hit.
The alarm went off at 6am, and instead of excitement, I felt dread. “I’ve got to run today.”
It stopped being something I wanted to do and became another task. Another thing I had to tick off an already overwhelming list.
By week 3, I’d quit. Trainers back in the cupboard. Feeling guilty.
If I’d committed to three times a week instead of every day, I’d probably still be running now.
I see this exact pattern every January on social media.
Someone posts: “This year is going to be different! I’m posting loads of content!”
Then they upload twenty posts in the first week of January.
By Easter? Radio silence.
Here’s what happens:
You run out of ideas faster than you thought.
Your results feel disappointing because everyone’s posting in January, which tanks your reach, and half your audience is on a social media detox anyway.
What started with excitement becomes a chore. You burn out. You disappear.
Then next January? You do the same thing all over again.
I know this pattern because I’ve done it myself. I once posted three times a day for 30 days as an experiment and felt completely burnt out afterwards.
Here’s what I do now:
I aim for three posts a week.
Same as last year.
Same sustainable pace.
I don’t panic when January results dip; it’s completely normal.
Everyone’s competing for attention, and half your audience isn’t even scrolling.
I don’t try to be a January hero.
My advice?
Create your January content, but then schedule it out across January, February, even March.
Don’t blow it all in week one trying to prove something.
Consistency beats intensity. Every single time.
Three posts a week for three months will get you further than twenty posts in one week, followed by silence.
Don’t run every day in January.
Run three times a week. All year.
Chris
Create content that converts