We’ve talked a lot this month about New Year’s resolutions and ways to keep them. This week, we’ll conclude our look by examining some ways to divide and conquer your resolutions.

Some of the most common resolutions are best addressed by building new habits. For example, if you want to get into better shape or eat healthier, what you really need to do is to develop new habits. It’s those new habits, practiced over time, that will help you achieve the goal.

For example, if you want to get into shape, you might decide to foster a habit of using the stairs instead of the elevator or taking a walk at lunch time or setting aside time for a workout each morning. If you want to eat healthier, you might make a healthy breakfast a new habit. Or perhaps you start packing a healthy lunch before bed so that it’s easy to grab in the morning, keeping you away from fast food. Or you make it a habit to keep healthy snacks in your desk.

Whatever habits you need to build, keep a few points in mind:

• Habits are built (and broken) over time. Doing something for three days doesn’t make it a habit. The longer you do it, the more ingrained it will become.
• Cut yourself some slack if you miss a day. The key to successful habit-building is getting back on track quickly.
• Until a habit becomes second nature, consider leaving yourself reminders. For example, leaving a bowl on the counter might remind you to eat a good breakfast. A note on the steering wheel might remind you about using the stairs. The key is to make it easy to do the good things you want to do.