Every January we begin making a mental list of what this year’s resolutions are going to be. Your chance for success can be partly determined by the process that you use to create your resolutions.

Here are some tips to help formulate resolutions.

1. Come up with a resolution “theme.” This is typically where people begin and where people stop. Coming up with the theme of your resolution is the first step. Your topic can be “be more healthy” or “to read more”, for example.

2. Begin with education. Do research into your theme to explore the options out there before making goals. For example, if your theme is “to start exercising”, make a list of the gyms in your area and visit each one.

3. Formulate a way that you will be measuring your success. How will you know that you have accomplished your goal? For example, if your theme is “to start exercising”, your measure of success might be “run a 5k race by March.” Pick something measurable, and pick a date.

4. Decide on the baby steps to get you to your “measure of success” goal. What activities will push you closer toward your goal? For running a 5 k race by March, your baby steps might be, “go to the gym M,W,F for 30 minutes on the treadmill.”

5. Enlist a friend. It helps to tell someone else about your goal. Somehow, just verbalizing your goals can help you feel accountable, which will increase your chances of accomplishing your goal.

Having your goals articulated with clear and measurable steps for accomplishments will give you a head start for accomplishing your goals for the year. Good luck in 2011!