The January effect takes place in a lot of disparate areas.
Gym memberships spike in January. No surprise there.
But what's more interesting is that most self-development books are published in January. Publishers know this is a key time to reach people in the general areas of health & fitness, money, relationships, and work.
I've also had massive traffic spikes on my blog in January when I run a bootcamp/New Year guide.
I wouldn't be surprised if the HN growth happens with people saying, "I really want to learn about tech/entrepreneurship and build something this year."
I don't know how it is for other people, but the tech sector appears to get really slow in the December-January and early July periods every year. So, more free time.
