We all want to be a little bit better or push ourselves a bit harder. But when striving for self-improvement, a common mistake is to shoot too high. We make promises to be healthier, more mindful, more patient. But such lofty goals often go unmet. They’re just too vague, or too hard to track. Even when a goal is more concrete (“I want to run a half marathon”; “I want to yell less”) it’s difficult to stay the course, especially when you have kids, because time is tight and progress requires consistency.

A suggestion: Start smaller — much smaller — and instead strive to develop micro habits. Micro habits are daily actions that are easy to implement into your established routine and only require a few minutes of your time (if that). While they may sound insignificant, they’re much more achievable than more traditional goals. And, because stacking up small victories creates a snowball effect that encourages you to undertake more, and more ambitious, changes, they may be more likely to lead to lasting change. Look at you go.