For a lot of people, the start of a new year means a new (or updated!) set of resolutions to go with it.

I stopped writing New Year’s Resolutions years ago, and instead set an ongoing series of clear, tangible goals that I’ve been working on achieving since then. Here are some tips based on what I’ve learned so far, to give YOU greater chances of success for the year ahead.

Set A Theme — Or At Least Your Top Three Priorities — For The Year

It will be tempting to give yourself a long list for the year, but train yourself to focus and prioritize. Will you focus on career, money, and health? Or health, family, and relationships? Or just one or two of these? Remember that there’s just one of you — and only 24 hours in a day, 365 days in a year. Time, money, and energy are finite so know what truly matters to you, and define your ‘annual theme’ based on these priorities.

Set Clear, Tangible, Time-Bound Goals

Now that you know what your top priorities are, set clear, tangible, and time-bound goals around these. For example: In 2016, one of my themes was achieving a higher level of fitness, and one key goal was being able to run a sub-three-hour half-marathon in May.

If your annual theme is money, set a goal to save or invest a certain amount by a certain date. If your theme is moving up in your career, have a chat with your boss about preparing yourself for an expanded role within a certain time frame. Make your goals as clear as possible so you’ll also know what success looks like to you.

Break Your Large Goals Into Smaller Goals And Set Up A Routine To Support These

Back to my fitness example: Knowing that I had a half-marathon to run in May last year, I set smaller goals to run practice races from January to April; I also set up a regular training routine that involved running and cross-training four to six times a week.

Some of you will want to save a certain amount of money each month in order to meet your financial goal, or take an online course to prepare yourself for a promotion, or write 1,000 pages each day to finish a book, or go alcohol- or cigarette-free for months at a time in order to meet larger health goals. Whatever your large goals are, make the smaller goals a part of your everyday routine and lifestyle so that you’re actively achieving your larger goals one day at a time.

Put Everything In Your Calendar

In my book, what doesn’t get calendared doesn’t get done. So I make sure to reflect everything in my work calendar — especially when they pertain to goals and boundaries that I want others to respect as well. If it’s a training run or a race, it’s on my calendar. When I need to block off time to ideate and write, it’s on my calendar. Even nights out and weekends with important people in my life are on my calendar. They ensure that I actually make time for what matters to me, and they also signal to others that certain times in my week are off-limits.

Of course, things happen and plans are bound to change from time to time. You definitely have to make room for some flexibility, but what’s great about having everything reflected in your calendar is that it shows you how much time you’re investing on your priorities — and if some adjustments are needed at some point. It also makes you more mindful of consciously designing your days around what truly matters to you.

Push Yourself A Little Bit More

Back to my fitness example again: Although my original goal was to run just one half-marathon in May last year, I ended up running another half-marathon just three weeks later — thanks to a rigorous training program that made me feel well-prepared for both races. Pushing myself just a wee bit more each day and each week helped me achieve more than just my initial goal; it also showed me what my body could do without hurting myself.

If you can push yourself a little bit more to exceed the goals you’ve initially set for yourself, why not? Aim to stretch just a little bit more each time — and you’ll also see how much sooner you’ll be able to turn those resolutions into reality.

Celebrate Your Key Milestones In Ways That Support Your Large Goals

I needed to call this out because, especially for fitness goals, it’s tempting to celebrate by giving yourself a “cheat day” or a “cheat meal” once you’ve hit, say, a target weight or size. While no one’s stopping you from doing that, it doesn’t really support your larger goal and only sets you back. Instead of celebrating with a meal, why not buy yourself an outfit in your new and trimmer size? Or get yourself new workout gear that reflects the new and more confident you. If it’s a work-related goal that you’re working towards, buy yourself a new book or a productivity tool that you’ve been wanting to try. Make even your celebrations a part of the goal-achievement process instead of deviating from it.

As I write this, I’m still mapping out my priorities for new year. I’m in the midst of writing a book while diving deeper into my long-term career goals, so I’m seeing that I may need to give up another goal of running a full marathon this year. But that’s okay —I understand why certain things have to go for now, and I also know that “not this year” doesn’t necessarily mean, “not ever.”

To me, that’s the beauty of setting clear priorities and making my goals a part of my everyday routine. I become a conscious designer and co-creator of my life, and I get more fulfillment out of my days.

As we begin another year, I hope that you, too, will take the opportunity to achieve your goals through concrete, everyday steps. There will be challenging days , for sure, but I also assure you that there will be many moments of victory and celebration. Just take one step, one day at a time, and see where the next 365 days will lead you.

Good luck (to all of us)!