It is January 1, which means New Year’s resolutions! Let’s make 2018 the year you stick to your goals!

Here is a step by step guide to making – and keeping – your resolutions for 2018:

RESOLUTION: Write down your resolution as specifically as you can. Lose 5 pounds. Eat 5 cups of vegetables a day Start off every morning with tea instead of coffee. Exercise 5 times a week. Notice how much more specific these are than “I am going to eat healthier”, “I am going to work out more”, “I am quitting coffee”.

3 MONTH GOALS: Decide what 3 things you need to be doing consistently to achieve your resolution. Frame these as actions, instead of things you cannot do. “I will not eat chocolate” is not something you can actually do, so it is not an effective way to frame a goal. Instead: “When I crave chocolate, I will drink mint tea and wait 20 minutes for the craving to pass”. Now that is a clear path of action! An effective goal to help you lose 5 pounds, for example, might be: 3 times a week, I will run on the treadmill for 30 minutes. If you want to eat 5 cups of vegetables a day in 2018: Every Sunday and Wednesdays after work I will go to the market for vegetables and fruit.

Write these goals down. Studies show people who write their plans down are more apt to execute them!

WEEKLY GOALS: Now, write down 2 things you can do this week that will build you up to those consistent actions. So, for example, if you want to be working out 3 times a week to lose that 5 lbs, this week you might have a goal to purchase proper workout gear and join a gym. Next week, your goal might be “Go to gym on Tuesday after work and walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes”. Notice how very specific this goal is. The more specific your goal, the more likely you are to do it!!!

Each week, give yourself new tasks to accomplish that bring you closer to your resolution.

Baby steps, my friends. One of the main reasons people fail is that they bite off more than they can chew each week and give up early. You want to make sure your weekly goals are achievable. Don’t overdo and don’t load yourself up with things you hate doing!

Most of us know exactly what we need to do to get healthier, but we struggle to find the motivation to make changes. Having a clear, extremely specific plan scheduled in your calendar each week helps motivation come more easily.