MAIN Home Life Holidays New Year Resolutions

Whether you plan to quit smoking, eat healthier, lose weight, land that new job or are eager to simply organize that bedroom closet — the trick to resolutions is making a list, and checking it twice.

Writing down your personal goals for the year ahead - whether it's on a sticky note, a scrap of paper or a detailed journal - is probably one of the best things you can do to get motivated on the road to self-improvement.

Planning to tackle a resolution head-on? Don't, say the experts. Rather, chip away at a goal for best results, and to ensure you won't drop it like yesterday's fad diet when the going gets tough. When compiling a New Year self-improvement to-do list, it's a lot easier if break your resolution down into component parts.

Divide and conquer

• If you're looking for a new job or to switch careers, for example, start writing down contacts you can use for networking. Begin brushing up your resume, or investigate classes or other training to make you more marketable.
• Planning to lose weight? Take the more sensible route by writing down healthier alternatives to at least some of the high-calorie foods you usually consume. Now, add to that a brisk 5-minute walk around the neighborhood everyday, and you'll be well on your way to achieving your ideal weight.
• A time-tested way for quitting smoking is to simply keep a record of each time you light up and count the number of cigarettes you have each day. Can you eliminate at least one from your daily habit? If you can do one - how about two the next day?

In short, being gentle with yourself and easing into a personal resolution is a surefire way of keeping it. And who knows? Once you become good at it you may not even have to wait for New Year's.

Elsewhere around the Web, discover more inspiration and great tips at top Web resources featuring additional advice and suggestions on how to keep those resolutions in the year ahead...

More about keeping New Year's resolutions around the Web:

Make New Year's Resolutions a Reality - From WebMD with good advice about getting happy, healthy and fit for the new year including quick tips on eating habits, stress reduction, family togetherness, de-cluttering your life and more.

New Year's Resolution Tips - From MyGoals.com, offering sensible suggestions on how to plan realistic goals for the upcoming year by creating concrete goals, writing them down...and sticking to it.

Popular New Year's Resolutions - The top favorites and how to accomplish them, including tips for losing weight, eating right, getting fit, and more from Firstgov.gov.

How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions - Best tip : don't sweat the setbacks. Persistence! Plus more step by step expert advice on how to stick with it, from eHow.com

ScienCentral: Quitting Smoking - A clear-eyed look at why it's so hard to quit and offering a good overview, its effects on your heart and lungs, case studies, reports on new developments in smoking cessation cures, and a sensible way to begin kicking the habit this year.

101 Ways to Reduce Stress - No preachy Pollyanna advice, but simple suggestions for chilling out - including our favorite - #8. Make duplicate keys.

Our Family Place: Getting Organized - Practical tips aimed at homemakers with a concise guide for keeping track and prioritizing. Includes printable budget forms, checklists.

Losing Weight Safely - From the U.S. FDA with a rundown on healthy weight reduction including quick ways to cut calories, exercise tips, warnings about diet pills and what questions to ask before signing up for a weight-loss program.