Afanasiev Andrii // ShutterstockThe psychological appeal of the fresh start is a well-documented driver of human behavior. In other words: The fresh start of the New Year may actually be the worst time to ensure a new skill actually sticks. Tracking the Rhythm of RetentionWhile the fresh start effect explains why people begin, it does not guarantee they will continue. Those who begin their journey in December show retention rates 28% below the cross-year average. MethodologyThe analysis is based on Skoove user retention data extracted from Mixpanel’s retention report.