If your New Year’s resolution this year is to be more productive, Guthrie County Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has some tips.

The Extension Office suggests following a SMART set of goals.  Individuals should make goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timed. The common theme is that people set lofty expectations, and lose progress relatively quickly. After the first week, only 75% of people who make a resolution stick with it. By six months, less than half have continued to make a change. The Extension Office also suggests expressing gratitude and careful observation as key ways to accomplish goals.