Tips on How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions  

New Year’s resolutions are hard, especially for busy professionals. We make them once a year, perhaps over a glass or two of champagne, and then forget what they were by Valentine’s Day. While nobody’s perfect, there are a few secrets to keeping your resolutions.

Number one: Write them down. Type them in Word and save them in your Google drive. Not only does this codify them, but it also provides a record year after year. I love going back four, five, or six years later and reading through my aspirations for that year and often remembering how important a certain topic was or laughing at myself for worrying so much about completing it. Keeping a record can offer perspective, too, in terms of realizing how much can be done over time with a little patience and persistence.

Number two: Print them out. This may sound old school, but the tangibility of a piece of paper often stands out among the deluge of digital information we store. It’s also very gratifying to jot down baby steps taken toward accomplishing each one and eventually, as the year progresses, crossing them off altogether. If you prefer digital, a simple app like Wunderlist can keep them organized and with you all the time. This also allows you to share them with a spouse or a friend to help keep you accountable.

How do you start? We all know the classics: Lose ten pounds, exercise, and do more volunteer work. These are all good goals, but here are a few tips to help make resolutions more actionable and personal.

• Begin with what you’ve accomplished in the past year. This can be done either by referring to last year’s list or just by writing a list of things you are proud of. Looking at the past year’s accomplishments does two things: It gives you a place to build from, and it also makes you feel good. It creates a mindset of gratitude for the hard work you’ve put in over the past twelve months which encourages you to push toward furthering your goals in the new year. Feeling secure and accomplished in one area of life can provide the fortitude to be disciplined in others. This is why most experts recommended working out first thing in the morning. That early morning accomplishment fortifies you and gives you the strength to make more good decisions. Try it!

• After you’ve reviewed your accomplishments from the past year, then pencil out three or four categories you’d like to focus on. These categories might include people, leadership, experiences, physical self, continuing education, or personal finances. They can and should be very personal to you. Next create two or three resolutions underneath each of the categories. Your goals should be quantifiable because then you will know if you are successful. For example, rather than “keep in better touch with college friends,” craft your resolution to say “plan two vacations around visiting old friends.” Instead of “save more money,” write “bring lunch to work three times each week, saving $100/month toward a family emergency fund.”

• Make your resolutions bite size. The bigger and more complex they are, the more daunting they can seem. When goals feel insurmountable, we often feel discouraged and quit. Instead, divide each one into logical baby steps and track progress on paper. This is a runner’s trick that can apply to any area of life. Tell yourself you will just run to that next stop sign, to the end of this song, to your front door. Before you know it, you’re home.

• Enroll a friend. Select a close friend or relative with whom you can be honest and open with. Ask her to write down five resolutions for you, and you, in turn, will write five for her. Write them privately then trade at the same time over coffee. This exercise should be fun but also will accomplish three things. It will spark new ideas for resolutions you hadn’t thought of, it will give you insight into how this friend or relative perceives you, and lastly, it will give you a partner in crime to hold you accountable.

In conclusion, a little trick that will help keep you on track: Select your most important goal and make it your password on your computer. By doing this, you are repeatedly typing in the goal every day and keeping your mind focused on accomplishing it.