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.