James Clear said, “We don’t rise to the levels of our goals, we sink to the levels of our systems.” He wrote a book called Atomic Habits, about how the small things we do add up to huge things in our lives.

For example, if you want to watch less tv, you make small changes to your “systems” to make it less convenient. You can move your couch so it doesn’t face the tv, or take the batteries out of the remote, or keep the tv in the closet, so you actually have to make an effort to watch it.

So many of the things we do in life, we do out of habit, or routine, not because we are living our lives on purpose. If there is something that you want to change, or improve, or do better or differently, think about what small, intentional change you can make that will alter your routine.

Don’t try to change everything in one shot. That’s why new year’s resolutions fail. Think instead about changing a small aspect of your habits or routines, which can help lead to a larger change.