With the dawn of the New Year, all the talk is about resolutions, goals, a word for the year… no matter how we do it, we are all itching to make a fresh start, do more, do less, do better!

Last year I wrote a post for The Skinny called New Year, New You! in which I shared five resolutions — or I prefer to call them goals for 2012.

Like most people, I’m my own worst critic, and while I did okay at keeping my goals, I think I can do better. I think I should do better. It’s hard to be consistent at all times, but there’s definitely room for improvement. This year instead of five goals, I decided to make just one. It is the one of the five commitments I made last year that I feel like I really want to improve on – put my family first.

And this year, I’m going one step further. I have a plan of action to hold myself accountable and make sure I keep my resolution. Or, you know, meet my goal.

Did you make New Year’s Resolutions this year? Here are some tips for keeping your New Year’s Resolutions.

1. Rather than resolutions, set goals. Goals are more tangible and easier to measure.

2. Create an action plan. Take the time to write it down. Decide how you will achieve your goals and how you will measure your success.

3. Chunk it. When I taught school and we were teaching kids to read, they would get overwhelmed by a whole long sentence. So we would tell them to “chunk it” — basically to break it down into several phrases. So when it comes to your New Year’s Goals, chunk it! Divide it into several steps, and then create a deadline for each.

4. Reward. When you complete a step or meet a goal, reward yourself! Do something fun, take some time to yourself, whatever makes you happy and motivates you to accomplish your goals.

5. Accountability. Find an accountability partner — someone who will ask you how you’re doing, remind you about the goals you’ve set and encourage you to keep going. It can be your husband, a friend, or even your kids! What matters is that you aren’t on your own.

How about you?? Were you successful in keeping your resolutions last year? What will you do differently in 2013?