It’s the 6th of January, and you have probably failed most of your New Year’s resolutions by now, hey? What you didn’t know was that you probably set yourself up for failure even before you started.

New Year’s resolutions are mostly about being a better person, and to change human behaviour to become a better person is as difficult as it is to beat the Australians at cricket. Small steps is what is needed, so give these a try, and changing might not be as difficult as you think…

Start small, very small
Setting goals that are difficult to keep, are going to be the first goals you are going to give up on. If you have never gone to gym before, and now decide to go to the gym everyday for an hour after work, i can guarantee a 110% failure rate on that NY resolution. Give these next 5 resolutions a try, and you might just be astounded how easy it is to change.

1. The 10 minute cleanup
Give yourself 10 minutes a day to clean up your house/room/apartment. Whether it be putting a load of washing on and filing this weeks bills away, 10 minutes ain’t alot of time. Manageable?

2. Eat 2 healthy things
Whether its an apple at lunch and some veggies for dinner, you will be amazed what a little healthy eating can do. If you already eat 2 healthy things a day, then eat 3, or replace your fizzy cooldrink at lunch with a juice. The just of it is to add or swop 2 unhealthy for 2 healthy.

3. Take lunch to work
This might not be possible for 5 days a week, but make an effort to increase your norm. The small benefits of this are saving around R20 a day, and that R20 multiplies for everyday you don’t. For everyday that you do take lunch to work, put R5 or R10 into a jar, and watch that jar grow!

4. Clean that windows desktop!
Stop the clutter! Thats what folders are for! Look around your desktop and for every icon that you havent clicked on for the past month, delete! The icons that you “double-click” almost everyday, move them into your taskbar (next to your Start button). That double-click has now become a single-click as well as less clutter on your desktop, not to mention loading time. (desktop icons take alot longer to load than your taskbar) There should be no documents on your desktop. Put those files in My Documents, or under a folder on your desktop. Trust me, having a clear desktop is like having a tidy desk. Lets hear it for increased productivity!

5. Take a 5 minute walk
Last on my list is the dreaded word, exercise! Not everyone wants to go to gym, or play a sport or run, but everyone needs exercise. Why not take a walk to the shop down the road to buy the paper/milk/bread every evening/morning, or take your dog for a walk around the block. It’s only 5 minutes. The advert break between your favourite shows on TV are longer than that. Go do it!

Write your New Year’s resolutions on paper and stick it on your fridge. Everyday that you accomplish one, give it a tick, or put a coin into a New Year’s resolution jar. Seeing is believing and change isn’t the worst thing that happened in the world, and it shouldn’t be in yours. But remember - small steps, small steps…