I love starting a new year, especially because I love to make New Year’s resolutions. A new year presents you with a perfect opportunity to reflect on the past and plan for the future. It gives you a fresh start and even a fresh perspective on life. New Year’s resolutions can push you outside of your comfort zone and help you improve.

Unfortunately, most people fail to accomplish their New Year’s resolutions simply because they do not track them. Tracking your goals, more than anything else, will help you accomplish your goals. You see each year I not only set resolutions, but I also create a tracker right along with them. My tracker is a way to measure my progress and results. A simple tracking system that is consistently updated is the best way I know to accomplish New Year’s resolutions and goals.

Having a simple way to track goals is critical to your success for two reasons:

One, it keeps the goals always in front of you and it reminds you of what they are each day. Your tracker should always be located in a highly visible location that you know you will see often.

Two, every time you update the tracker it serves as a time to review and evaluate how you are doing. Putting an x on your tracker for a yes helps you feel good about what you are accomplishing. It gives you a sense of satisfaction. Leaving the tracker blank or putting circles on it as a no can also motivate you to reevaluate your priorities and do better.

So my single, most important advice to accomplishing New Year’s resolutions is to create a tracker. A well-designed tracker that you keep updated makes it hard not to accomplish the goals you set! Happy New Year!