I’m a sucker for New Year’s resolutions. I love them. After all, the end of one year and start of the next is the only time of year that we humans collectively reflect, dream, and set intentions for the year ahead.

Yet did you know that an estimated 88 percent of people will give up their New Year’s resolutions within the first two weeks of January?

Yes, all that energy we felt goes out the window once real life kicks in. But not for you—and not for me. We’re going to see our goals through this year, all the way to the end of the year, and be able to look back on 2025 with success and self-satisfaction.

How? Here are some strategies that I’ve honed over the past fifteen-plus years to help reach my personal goals—most based on principles of neuroscience and psychology.

Identify your One Thing

Ask yourself: What is the one thing, that if it is accomplished, makes every other goal easier or better? Then, move toward that goal.

For example, if you’re struggling financially, getting out of debt might be the One Thing. Once you’re out of debt, everything else will be easier and better, because you’ll have financial breathing space, which will help you be more creative, present, and at ease, enabling you to reach your other goals.

In my life, my core focus this year is creating harmony in my business and my life. To me, harmony is active—it’s not sitting peacefully in the corner with a candle lit and Buddhist chants playing in the background. It means that my life is flowing with a calm energy, and everything is working in sync. My One Thing is home systems—including paring down our things and creating better organizational systems—to enable more time and ease within my family, and the first place I’m starting is with my daughter’s room, because it’s stressing me out big-time. I’ve then sequenced the home so I know what’s next to be able to achieve my One Thing for the year; I’ve also identified an area of my business I’m focusing on to create more harmony.

Don’t go wild and wear out

If you throw yourself in full throttle, you’ll just tire yourself out and give up. It’s human nature, so don’t beat yourself up if this has happened in the past.

In my business, for example, my One Thing right now is implementing a new financial system that will simplify my finances and improve profitability. In the past, I might have tried to burn everything to the ground in favor of this new way of doing things. Instead, I’m slowly following the steps of the system and giving myself two months to get it up and running, by which time I should have a new habit formed that will flow easily throughout the rest of the year.

If your goal is to write a book—you knew I had to go there!—then don’t jump in and start writing two hours a day. Instead, start building a daily writing habit, even if it’s just five minutes. Increase over time. Show up consistently. And if you don’t hit that goal right away, remember that January is not the only time you can begin. Pick up your habit today and get started.

Set deadlines

I love a good deadline, for writing and for life. I’ll use my daughter’s room as an example here, but you can insert your own goal and consider a reasonable deadline.

My daughter is having a birthday party at our home the first weekend of February, which is a beautifully tight deadline to get her space together. It’s enough time to do a good job, especially since I started before the end of the year, but tight enough to put some pressure on us to get it done. Constraints are a good thing—they push you to get things done.

When I coach authors, they write their books in a six-month container. While some authors may need a little more time, most finish within that time frame or close to it—and I believe that clear deadlines are an important part of why they’re successful.

Reduce friction

Ooh, friction! Have you ever planned to get up to exercise, but your bed is so cozy, and you forgot to get your clothes out the night before, and it’s cold outside, and you didn’t prepare a grab-and-go breakfast to eat on the way to the gym, and . . . and . . . and . . .

Reduce as much friction as you can, and you’ll be more likely to achieve your goals. In my daughter’s case, I pulled ALL her things out of her room and brought them into the basement. They’re now sorted into categories for us to go through together. The friction we were facing before is that we’d walk into her messy room and not know where to start, or we’d do a little, but it would become untidy again quickly.

If you’re writing a book, reducing friction might mean setting your laptop on the table at night, with a pen and notepad next to it, and maybe even a candle if you like some ritual around your writing time. It might mean creating a dedicated writing space you love working in, so you’re not struggling to focus.

Create and/or follow systems

Great systems, great life and business. I know that may sound simplistic, but I’ve found in both my home and work that implementing functional systems makes all the difference.

If you’re writing a book, that might mean following a clear system, like my Nonfiction Book School program that guides you from idea to draft.

For my daughter’s room, I found an organizational expert who teaches strategies that work with kids’ brains, and I’ve been bingeing her content as I work through this project and following her recommended systems for organization.

Schedule accountability

This is key. Research shows that you’re 95 percent more likely to achieve goals if you have scheduled accountability. That’s huge!

In my daughter’s room example, the accountability is my daughter asking me every day when we are going to finish and get her room done. I joke, but it is honestly a great accountability system. Her stuff is in the basement, and she wants it back! I’ve also asked a friend to come help me toward the end when I’m getting everything set up in the room, and she’s already put time on her calendar in early February (aren’t my friends the best?).

If you’re writing a book, that help might mean a coaching program or private coach. Having regular, scheduled accountability can make all the difference when it comes to achieving your goal of writing a book.

Here’s to not burning out by mid-January. We’re in this. We’re doing this. We’re taking names and making goals happen. Here’s to a successful and happy 2025!

Tell me in the comments: What’s one goal you’ve set in 2025, and what’s one action step you’ll take to make it happen? I love hearing from you—and cheering you on as you work toward your goals!