Every year, we scramble as we down Champagne to figure out what we want to change and make better about our lives on New Year’s Eve before we approach a new era. It adds an odd amount of pressure to live up to as we set our sights high to accomplish the things we hope to achieve.

Sometimes it just adds to the stress we are trying to eliminate, again setting us up on a never-ending cycle of disappointments—and stacking on things to change on the next trip around the sun. So, this New Year’s Eve, our contributor, Jenna Wohlwend, proposes we set a new standard of a New Year’s Resolution: 

Just focus on ONE singular, reachable thing.

Don’t give yourself an absurd list and don’t set so many rules and stipulations to the thing you decide to do. Be kinder to yourself.

Less is More

The idea is to make steps forward, regardless if it is big or small, and really keep that one thing in mind throughout the year, so then when you are waiting to watch that ball drop again, you feel like you really made an impact and reached a goal, closing out a year with a feeling of pride.

Make It Something Realistic

Something to really consider about this particular one goal, it should be something attainable that you can actively keep in mind on the regular. Whether it is to swear less, try new recipes, read more or even to compliment yourself each day, focus on just one and let that be your goal.

Don’t Go Overboard

And don’t overdo it. If you want to learn new recipes or read new books, aim for one a month. If you want to wake up earlier, try waking up early once a week and really test out the waters and see what helps get you out of bed. You don’t need to stop certain things cold turkey in an effort to accomplish something. Take your time to figure out what works for you and just make it a priority to focus on it.

Simplifying This Tradition 

This tradition is really wonderful since it focuses on pushing ourselves to be the best we can be, but we want to make sure that we don’t put ourselves back into a rut of being hard on ourselves and feeling overwhelmed. Half of the time, people don’t end up accomplishing goals because there are too many things on their plate. When there are all these factors to consider, it diminishes our ability to succeed.

All in all, make it all about quality over quantity this year. Really get good at something, really fix a problem you’ve been wanting to fix and really add some happiness and health to your life—don’t continue stressful patterns. It will just go awry. This new way of approaching resolutions may just be exactly what you are looking for to get the change and results you’ve been waiting for. And remember, always practice gratitude throughout the process!

Jenna Wohlwend is a content strategist at a tech company in San Francisco and runs her own lifestyle blog, Jenna Rose Colored Glasses. She has her B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and loves karaoke, reading, cooking and traveling with her husband.