New Year’s resolutions are notoriously difficult to keep.

Every year millions of Americans commit to eat healthier, lose weight, save money and many other noble pursuits. However, more often than not fulfilling these goals can be more difficult than people initially expect.

“They haven’t fully thought through what that means or if they have time for it,” said Dr. Lorri Lankiewicz, president and CEO of Balance For Wellness Academy Inc. and Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers.

The best thing people can do when making resolutions is to stop and consider what is realistic to shoot for and whether they can commit the time to fulfill their goals, she said.

“We have a program called ‘brain-heart-gut,’” Lankiewicz said. “They need to take that information, churn it in the gut which is our intuitive aspect and feel out what feels right to them. And then take it into the heart and let that be the truth.”

Once you know what goals are personally important enough to reach for, consider what is realistic in terms of time and effort.

“I think one trick is, as they’re deciding what that resolution is, to look to the past first and write down what has worked and what hasn’t,” Lankiewicz said.

She recommends writing things down both as a part of the resolution forming process and also in the planning process to further imprint the ideas in the mind and make it a more solid part of a daily schedule.

“It really helps,” she said.

Once a resolution is chosen, there are a number of practical things a person can do to keep following their goals throughout the year, beginning with research and accountability.

“Another part is, ‘Do I have enough information around this?’” Lankiewicz said. “I really believe that people either need to take the time, and then they need to decide they need help. Buddy systems can work.”

Resolution makers can also turn to technology to help with reminders, progress measurements and more, though Lankiewicz warns that it can sometimes do more harm than good if used improperly.

“I think a lot of people are going to the wearable devices to start tracking what they’re doing. I think the first thing to do is track your steps. It makes you get up and move a little more,” Lankiewicz said. “But I also think the technology can be a little distracting because while they’re looking at what they should do, they can start looking at what else is on the device, and that can waste time.”

Once the resolution is picked and the scheduling strategies are set, there is one more thing to remember: Stay positive.

“Don’t beat yourself up. One thing I talk about is the gremlin voice and the angel voice,” Lankiewicz said. “The gremlin will beat you down. You need an angel voice or some positive mantra to keep the gremlins down. You need a strategy to stay positive.”