Have you ever noticed how much more you get done in the week before a holiday? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from the goal gradient effect; the research-backed finding that the closer we are to a finish line, the harder and faster we push, and turn it into something genuinely practical for your career. Sarah introduces Finish Line Fridays: a simple way to use the psychology of progress to build momentum towards goals that matter, one week at a time. Helen tests it live with her PhD as the goal, and together they explore whether you're more of a fresh start effect person or a finish line focus person, and why pairing the two might be useful. 🎯 What You'll Learn – What the goal gradient effect is and why it explains so much about how we work (and why rats are involved) – The difference between the fresh start effect and finish line focus (and which one you're more naturally wired for) – How to run your own Finish Line Fridays: from picking your goal to setting your first action before you've even finished the current week – Why knowing the "when" matters as much as the "what", and how to actually protect time in your diary – How shared finish lines might be even more motivating than solo ones 📚 Resources Mentioned Farnam Street, Goal Gradient Effect: https://fs.blog/goal-gradient-hypothesis/ Sketchplanations: https://sketchplanations.com/ For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com Need some more squiggly career support? 1. Download our free career tools: https://www.amazingif.com/toolkit/ 2. Sign up for our Skills Sprints: https://www.amazingif.com/squigglysprints/ 3. Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools: https://bit.ly/squigglynewsletter_pod 4. Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster: https://www.amazingif.com/books/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices