It’s that time of year again.

The new year has officially commenced. It’s a season full of optimism and excitement for many as New Year’s Resolutions are in full swing. From losing weight to paying off debt to “becoming a better person” (whatever that means), everyone seems to be goal-crazy right now. However, that extreme optimism is usually short lived as people come crashing back down to reality.

Your office holds a potluck (or two). You incur unexpected expenses. Someone scuffs your brand new boots (the expensive ones). Whatever the reason, life happens and completely derails you from that New Year’s Resolution you were so excited about just a few days ago.

The truth is, setting New Year’s Resolutions just doesn’t work for most people. The proof is in the pudding!

According to Statistic Brain, 91% of people who set resolutions fail by the end of the year. What’s worse, over ⅓ of these supposed “goal-getters” will give up by February 1, just 31 days into the new year.

There’s got to be a better way…

So how are you going to start off this year? Will that be you?

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same things over again expecting different results. Why not try some alternatives to New Year’s Resolutions this year?

Below are 5 surefire ways to pass on the traditional New Year’s Resolutions and still achieve your goals this year:

5 Alternatives to New Year’s Resolutions

1. Write a letter to your future self. According to Psychology Today, this is a great way to get the party started for the year. Imagine it is one year from now and begin penning a letter to your current self about your #1 goal you are going to crush this year. Spend some time and give yourself advice and wisdom on how you navigated those barriers, too. Don’t cheat by typing it; physically write the letter for maximum effect. Next, seal it in an envelope and tape it to a wall at your desk or an area you commonly visit.

At the end of the year, open the letter and see if you actually achieved the goal. You’ll be astonished by what you can accomplish just with the simple act of writing things down.

2. Create a theme for the new year. Instead of setting a New Year’s Resolution, Who What Wear explains you should sum up how this year is going to go in 1-5 words. When you do set your goals throughout the year, make sure they support your theme; if not, you may want to think about scrapping those goals altogether.

3. “Be” instead of “Do”. If this technique’s good enough for Zoe Saldana, it’s good enough for me! When most people set New Year’s Resolutions, they focus solely on what they need to do. Woah… let’s take a step back. Instead of initially concentrating on the actions; start with who you are going to become.

From there, you can take the actions and create the S.M.A.R.T goals to achieve this vision of yourself.

4. Create goals all year round. What’s the best way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Break up that year-long goal into smaller chunks to be more productive.

The thing is, a year is a long time. If you set all of your goals in the beginning of the year, odds are that your circumstances are going to change by year’s end. Why not try quarterly goals? This gives you a shorter timeframe, which decreases procrastination and provides incentive to get going now.

5. Create a vision board for the year. Similar to my first point, create a vision board with all of the things you want to accomplish this year. Don’t go crazy on the amount of goals you want to accomplish, because too many objectives will lead to distraction and thus nothing will get done. Rather, increase the size of the results you want to see and find pictures that represent those results. Put your newly-created vision board on a wall you see every day to remind yourself of what you’re working towards.

One last thought: If you need help staying focused on your goals this year, I’d love to help. Join my 30-Day Visualization Challenge, and within 30 days you’ll be a goal-crushing machine!

Do you set New Year’s Resolutions, or do you go the alternative route? Put your goal-setting habits in the comments section below!