For hundreds of years, people have been creating New Year’s resolutions. At first glance these rarely ever last. Yet nearly two in three people are likely to keep their resolutions. Being one of the people to keep their New Year’s promise is actually way easier than you might think.  

First, it’s important to set an achievable goal. Don’t say you’re going to (in one year) break the Guinness World Record for Longest Distance to Pull an Airplane. Instead, say you’re going to work out three times a week. 

Choose the right time to set a goal. A professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago says “We don’t envision ourselves being hungry when we’re full or sweaty when we’re not sweating. If your New Year’s goal involves a lot of sweating, make the plan while you are exercising.” This concept is based on the idea of the empathy gap. Your brain will feel less motivated in a way to complete the task of eating healthier while you’re eating McDonald’s. 

Find a goal you’ll enjoy and set a timeline. If you despise running, don’t make it your goal to run every morning before school. Instead try to improve at a hobby, like painting or biking. That way you’ll feel motivated to complete your goal. Most importantly (and the most boring part), set a timeline. If you like color, create a color-coded timeline for your goal and put it somewhere you can see it. This way you can see how you’ve improved along the way which will actually motivate you to continue your goal. 

The bottom line is your resolution is not doomed to fail. So go make a New Year’s Resolution that sets you up for success.