Career Coach: New Year's resolutions. Make just one and keep it

Another new year. Does it feel hopeful or stressful? Do you hope that you will be able to accomplish more, and feel better about yourself? Or are you worried that you will find yourself in the same situation at the end of next year (wondering where the time went and wondering what you accomplished)?

So many people set New Year's resolutions, and yet by February, we have given up on them once we experience the first setback or slip.

Here are some ideas to try out so that you might feel better by the end of the year. First, list the major "bucket areas" that are important to you. Perhaps those might include: physical/health, emotional/mental, spiritual, professional, financial, and general/other. Now, for each of those areas, list two to three ideas for how you might improve or grow. For example, for the "emotional" category, you might list having more fun with your family or developing a new hobby. For "physical," you might write down exercising more or getting seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Don't list too many things. Be realistic here about what can be accomplished.

Now think about the "one thing" that if you did it you would feel really great about yourself when reflecting at the end of 2015. This may take a little time to think about since you might want to list several here from your list. But, really, what is the one thing?

Once you have identified that goal, then make it your primary focus for the first quarter of the New Year. List one change that you can make to impact that area. Suppose it is in the emotional bucket, and you decide it is having more fun with family. Then, decide you will schedule one night a week or one half-day a weekend for family time. Block off the time now on your schedule for the next quarter.

Don't think about the entire year ahead; it can seem daunting and overwhelming. Instead think about each week at a time. Why? In their book, "The Leadership Challenge," James Kouzes and Barry Posner write, "the legacy we leave is the life we lead each and every day." Think about the quarter ahead and each week at a time, rather than the entire year.

Here are some other things you can do to reach your goal:

Quantify your goal ("I will set aside one night per week for family activities or I will exercise three times per week for at least 30 minutes.").

Put a note up on your mirror to look at each day or in your car or office to remind yourself that one thing you are working on. Review it at least twice a day.

Make sure to list the goal in positive terms: "I will enjoy one activity per week with my family," rather than "I will work less." Or, "I will weigh X and look great," rather than "I will lose 20 pounds."

Identify specific goals or tactics that will enable you to make progress on that one thing.

Think about potential obstacles and anticipate that hurdles might occur. How will you deal with them?

Mark your progress. It could be as simple as posting a plus or minus sign at the end of each week that you completed the objective.

Tell a close friend, family member, or colleague what your "one thing" is so that they can help you stay focused. Often, sharing something publicly helps. Or, get them to work with you on your goal (e.g., you both exercise together).

Periodically celebrate your success -- maybe the first month you have been successful with your goal.

You could certainly tackle a second big thing in the second half of the year -- if you have made progress during the first half and your first goal is now more habitual.

You may think that tackling one thing is not that big of a deal for a New Year's resolution, but just look back -- were you able to address all the goals you had for last year? Or, did you take on way too many things and accomplish none of them? Start small -- having some success is better than none!

I hope that at the end of 2015 you can see that you have made progress and accomplished something of importance to you, and feel hopeful for the following year's goals. Happy New Year!

• Russell is vice dean and director of the Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is a licensed industrial and organizational psychologist and has more than 25 years of experience coaching executives and consulting on leadership and career management.