I’m a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. “New Year’s resolutions” are yearly goals that you set for yourself at the beginning of a new year. They usually have to do with fitness, saving money, education, etc. People often make New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of the year but don’t end up keeping them. That used to happen to me too until I found some great techniques!

The start of a new year is the perfect time to turn a new leaf, which is probably why so many people create New Year’s resolutions. A new year often feels like a fresh start, which is a great opportunity to change bad habits and establish new routines that will help you grow emotionally, socially, physically, or intellectually. Resolutions are much easier to make than to keep, and by the end of March, many of us have usually abandoned our resolutions and settled back into our old patterns. Below, I have 5 techniques that will trick your mind into continuing your resolutions year-round.

Only pick three goals: You should have one really important goal that you’re going to achieve no matter what. You can set two other goals to work toward as well. Just remember to decide which goal is your “main” one. You may be asking yourself well why only three? Because if you try to do more than three things at once, you’ll get lost. You’ll lose track of what’s most important. You’ll start to neglect one of your goals, and then you’ll feel guilty about it.

Write your resolutions down and post them somewhere: Think of a single word to represent each of your resolutions. Write the word in big letters or even make them unique and post it somewhere in your home. For example, if you want to cut down on certain foods like sugar, gluten, meat, etc, you can make a sign with the word “diet” and hang it on your refrigerator, so every time you get up to go get food you’ll be reminded of your resolution. Don’t just write your resolutions down quietly. Announce them to your family and friends. Put them on your social media page. After all, we know how tempting and annoying it can be when family and friends bring home certain items or foods that go against our resolution.

Turn each resolution into a habit: Now that you’ve chosen some goals, incorporate time into your day to work toward them. Working on your resolutions every single day is very effective. This year one of my resolutions is to drink more water. I made a rule for myself that I have to drink a full 64oz water bottle every day before I go to sleep. I’ve even got one of those cool water bottles with fancy letters and day times on it to help me stay on track. If you do something every day, it becomes a habit. Soon you won’t even think about it, you’ll just do it naturally.

Work on one habit per month: To achieve an important goal, you’ll probably need to pick up several good habits. For example, to spend less time on electronics you’ll need to find ways to turn your screen off and find an activity that you like to do that doesn’t require a screen. Over quarantine this year lots of people have found ways to use their hidden talents and make use of it. For example, if you like to make art you can find ways to make money or use your art for something purposeful. I suggest focusing on one good habit per month. After you’ve gotten used to the first one, you can then add the next one, and so on.

Use a calendar or journal: Instead of simply stating, “I want to…” create a goal that is measurable and time-bound. “I will… by June 1, 2021,” is a measurable goal within a specific amount of time. You can even break your goal into an even more manageable resolutions by making it a weekly goal, “I will… per week.” Breaking your goal down into small, manageable tasks is the key to success!

So what are your resolutions going to be? Change doesn’t happen overnight. To make progress toward your goals, it’s important to take small steps every day rather than large leaps every month.