Is new years counterintuitive? The successes I have had in life have centered around getting an early leg up. Why? Because you never know what nature of delays may be coming down the pike. If you are ahead of schedule you can absorb the delay. If you are on schedule, a delay opens a period of recovery when you are working past your controlled pace when people get hurt and make careless mistakes. So, if the new year is a new start, how insane is it to get shitfaced the night before, and miss the first day of work nursing a hangover?