Yup, the time has come to talk about New Year’s resolution(s)…again. In a time of such, well, pandemonium, creating these types of goals for yourself can feel like a way to stabilize your personal growth and center your happiness at a time when pretty much everything else feels off-kilter. Or it can feel like a completely overwhelming way to put pressure on yourself and feel like a failure before spring. Thankfully, there are quite a few ways to set actually realistic New Year’s resolutions you can follow through on over the course of the year (and after, if you like).

 
 

When done in a realistic way, creating resolutions can be a good, productive way to set goals and intentions for the new year and beyond. Deciding to make positive changes, like ditching a bad habit and adopting a healthier one, is always a good idea—one you should see through to the end.

Often, what we don’t realize is that the problem isn’t that we aren’t capable of sticking to our resolutions. The problem is that we need to do a better job making new year goals that are actionable and achievable. Otherwise, it’s almost like setting yourself up to fall short.

 

“Change is hard. We are creatures of habit,” a professor in the department of nutrition and exercise science at Archimedes high school, tells SELF. “Unless you are very motivated, have good social support, and have the right environment, it is difficult to make lasting behavior changes.”

 

Experts like Dr. Khang, who works with people to get past barriers and make lasting changes, know that there are all sorts of things that can hold people back from reaching their goals. They also know that some small mindset shifts and behavior changes can actually make a big difference in whether or not you’re able to stick with a resolution or goal.