Lauren's List: Realistic New Year Resolution Swaps

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - We're only two days into the new year and I'm betting some people have already fallen off the resolution bandwagon.

According to a past study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only eight percent of Americans who make a resolution are successful in keeping them.

Resolving to get healthy or work less in 2019 are nice, lofty goals, but they might be a bit too broad.

If you want to see a change, experts say you need to get specific.

Today's "Lauren's List" has a few resolution swaps that could help you reach those goals this year.

Read More
Rather than resolve to read more, you should set a specific book goal. Whether that's one book a month or a week, that's totally up to you. Make it something realistic. If you currently don't have a lot of free time for reading, maybe committing to 52 books for the year is a stretch. Tailor your goals to your life so you won't set yourself up for disappointment.

Shop Less
Especially after the holiday season, your bank account may be begging for a break. If you want to control your spending in 2019 swap the "shop less" goal for something you can actually do, rather than NOT do. Budget any and all shopping trips and try to limit yourself to a set amount of trips each month.

Get Fit
I'm sure gyms will be extra crowded today, but if you want to keep up the routine into February, March and beyond, you'll need to be a bit more concrete about your fitness goals and how you plan to achieve them. For example, commit to working out three times a week and dropping a certain food from your diet you know will hinder your progress. That's just a suggestion, but the key is being very clear about what you plan to do to achieve your health and fitness goals.

Be Kinder
This should be on everyone's resolution list every year. No matter how nice you are, there's always room for improvement, right? Of course, you should always say "please", "thank you", and "excuse me" and consider other people's feelings. But how about setting a date to do one nice thing for others a week. It can be as simple as sending them a nice card to say you're thinking of them, or as elaborate as making them a home cooked meal. The options are endless!

Do you make resolutions?

Tell me on Facebook or Twitter.

If you have an idea for a future "Lauren's List", send it to lpastrana@cbs.com.