Making New Year's Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

Back in 2007, the management firm FranklinCovey surveyed 15,000 people about their New Year's resolutions. The majority of the thousands of people who participated in the survey reported that in the coming year they intended to lose weight or save money.

Still, about 1 person in 5 manages to make resolutions and stick to them. What makes the difference

Here are 10 ways people who decide to change their lives for the better follow through.

1. People who stick to their resolutions don't try to accomplish a whole-life makeover in just one year.

Willpower, it turns out, is a limited resource. It takes mental and sometimes even physical energy to force yourself to change your daily habits. When you make a long list of resolutions for the new year, you are able to devote less effort to each one. When you make a short list or even just one resolution for changes in your life, you are far more likely to succeed.

2. People who reach their goals tend to have "launching pads" for day to day success.

Have you ever thought about how much time you spend finding important papers, or finding the right accessory to go with your outfit, or just fumbling around for your keys? People who get things done usually have central locations where they lay out everything they need for the next day. This location sometimes will get messy, but having a single place where everyone in the household can find everything they need for the day first thing in the morning makes achieving other goals a lot easier.

3. People who follow through on weight loss resolutions formulate their goals in a way that aren't all about them.

This is a resolution that usually falls by the wayside by February, unless it's a resolution made that isn't all about what you eat or don't eat, whether you lose weight or not, whether you can fit into new clothes.

One way to make a weight loss resolution that you can keep long term is to resolve to share your lunch with a friend. Or to make a habit of sharing entrees with a like-minded friend when you go to restaurants. Or, whether it's part of your religion or not, to fast one day a week and to meet with other people who have similar goals. Weight Watchers works great for some people, but there are many ways to make your own group for weight loss success.

Read More: 5 New Year's Beauty Resolutions You Should Make

4. Do something new, anything new.

Even when you aren't seeing immediate results from your resolutions, simply trying new activities instead of the same old-same old will give you a feeling of success. So, if you don't dance, reinforce your diet goals with dance for your exercise routine. Or if you are resolving to cut back on smoking, try a hookah, or e-cigarettes, or switch brands. Novelty is often its own reward.

More Ways To Make New Year's Resolutions You Can Actually Keep

5. Use brain power, not willpower.

The most successful New Year's resolutions aren't the resolutions that require you to make the right choice 20 times a day. The most successful New Year's resolutions are those that can be made without having to deal with temptations.

If you have decided to lose weight, don't set yourself to have to say "I'm not eating that, I'm not eating that, I'm not eating that" all day long, simply put snack foods in a closet that doesn't have a see-through door. If you have decided you are going to stop impulse shopping to save money, don't drive past stores saying "Not going to shop there, not going to shop there, not going to shop there," make a list of things you really want, and get specific. Then go for exactly what you want, accepting nothing less than the best. 

6. Make a list. Check it twice.

It's not just Santa who needs to make a list and check it twice. When you are making your New Year's resolutions, write them down. People who write out their resolutions are more likely to keep them. And don't be hesitant about crossing off some items from your list.

There's always next year for still more self-improvement.

7. Plan for success.

Resolutions you can actually keep depend less and less on willpower and more and more on planning as you go along.

As you change your eating habits, notice the items you can leave off, or you need to put on, your shopping list. As you cut back on smoking, notice what you do instead, and make sure you have everything you need to support your new, healthier habit. As you bring your spending under control, take a new look at your budget, or maybe two, to chart new goals for the new year.

8. Make "new month" resolutions as well as New Year's resolutions.

If you can keep your resolution through the month of January, social psychologists say, you have about a 50% greater chance of keeping it through the whole year.

Then take a second look at what you need to do to keep up the good work the rest of the year.

9. For changing your health, set a single, clear goal.

If you need to lose a lot of weight, "getting thinner" probably isn't going to inspire you. "Losing 100 pounds so I can participate in a tennis tournament" or "losing 1 pound each and every week" is going to get you farther. If you need to quit smoking, "quitting smoking" usually doesn't work as a goal, either. But "buying 3 packs a week instead of 4" might be a better way to getting where you want to be with this kind of goal.

Read More: 8 Ways To Actually Stick To Your New Year's Resolution

10. Take comfort in the fact that you made clear resolutions.

Improvements in your life are usually intentional, not accidental. Simply making a resolution, and making it clear and measurable, is the first step on the way. The fact that you are making resolutions at all is setting you down the path to success, and if you can just stay on that path to February, you are far more likely to succeed throughout the year.