“New year. New me.” We tell ourselves that repeatedly year after year. We set goals for ourselves about how we’re going to workout more, eat healthier, fall in love, or get that internship or job we’ve been reaching for. It only takes about a week, or if you’re like me, as little as a day to completely abandon that resolution and leave it in the previous year.

Well surprisingly, according to a study done by the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that, “six months into the year, fewer than half (only 46 percent) of people participating in resolutions were still keeping to their pledge.”

So why do some of us suck so much at keeping ours???

Well… don’t freak out and think you have no dedication or commitment. There’s actually a science behind our lack of success.

Scientists have found that the reason we fail at our New Year’s resolution is because our goals are too broad. We don’t make a specific plan and take specific action. A New Year’s resolution is really just the formation of a habit.

To keep your New Year’s resolutions this year, here’s a few things you should keep in mind:

Make your list short

It seems that way too often we make an endless list of everything that needs to improve in our lives. It’s ridiculous how much we put on ourselves and that list can be overwhelming and cause us to lose sight of what we’re really trying to do.

Instead of making a long list, we should pick specific goals and focus on each achievement one at a time.

Be prepared for setbacks

The biggest culprit of ruined New Year’s resolutions is our inability to accept obstacles or setbacks. It’s only human nature that once you mess up once, you feel like a failure. If you fail to anticipate a couple of setbacks, you’ll be completely unprepared when that obstacle rolls around.

If your New Year’s resolution is to shed a couple pounds, account for the fact that one night you might come home and drunkenly eat your entire kitchen, and that’s okay.

The important thing is that you don’t let it ruin your entire plan. Go to the gym the next day and keep on truckin’.

Take action

The most common reason we fail is because we’re going about strategizing the wrong way. It helps if these are smaller goals with a time limit, these could be smaller goals that help reach your one larger goal.

Instead of making a goal that says "lose weight", make your goals to workout for 30 minutes a day, cut out the late night munchies, or drink a prudent amount of water daily.

Structuring an actual activity makes our brain more focused on that activity, which will then result in the success of your goal.

Treat yourself

Ever heard Ivan Pavlov’s classical conditioning theory: Give a dog a treat every time it sits down, dog sits down because they want said treat. Well it's true. Make sure to reward yourself along the way to stay inspired.