If you typically see the new year as a fresh chance to improve on key factors in your life, such as eat better, exercise more, spend less money or any other big behavioral change you would like to put into action, plan first to keep it simple for the greatest chance of success. Here are three ways to do just that and lead you into the year with manageable first, small steps which add up to a year of big changes:

Intention: Break your plan down into small, manageable, measurable steps

No matter how grand your dreams for the new year and beyond, change will happen in increments. What you will do to cause this change will grow from your intention for the change.

So, instead of focusing on the actual change, or even the behavior required to accomplish it, why not focus on your intention to achieve the change? This focus will help you to keep behaviors and actions in alignment with your desired outcome. Intention will help you keep the big picture in mind as you make small changes throughout your day.

Build time into the plan

New habits, just like old ones, don’t just happen overnight! In fact, research suggests on average it will take about two months for you to develop a new habit. This means that until you have repeated your new, desired behavior often and until approximately that much time has passed, you will be at risk of losing touch with your original intention and letting your new plan slip away.

In other words, it will likely be mid- February before your new diet, exercise or other resolution feels like a normal part of your routine. Plan for the challenge of the first part of the year and realize how sticking to a small number of resolutions can help guide your success. After all, part of the plan can be to add additional changes in April, at the one-quarter through the year mark!

Be flexible and work through your “less than perfect” moments

Intentional change takes intentional focus. Accept the idea from the start that there will be times where your attention may stray from your plan for a multitude of reasons. Understand this doesn’t mean you are weak in your resolve, or you are a bad person, or that your goal can not be ultimately achieved. Focus instead on your intention for change.

You will need some flexibility in your plan to allow a little splurge once in a while, whether you decide to indulge in something sweet, or skip your exercise for the day. With your overall intention in mind, these deviations from the big plan become conscious choices which you can be aware of and take responsibility for, rather than unconscious choices which sabotage and throw you permanently off track.

Now is a good time to visit your local Body and Brain center for ideas and support in achieving your goals as you enter the new year: we can do this together!

Here’s wishing you the Happiest New Year and all the success you dream of for 2016 and beyond!