I promise to loosen up and laugh more often. I promise to save up enough money to buy a car. I promise to do more volunteering.

Although these New Year’s resolutions may seem fairly easy to fulfill, research from the University of Scranton has revealed that as much as 92% of all people fail to keep to their resolutions, and only 45% of people actually set them.

People, especially the younger generation, tend to either completely forget their resolutions, become discouraged and give up, or just ignore their resolutions entirely.

But New Year’s resolutions should be regarded as important, not just because of the payoff they can bring through their fulfillment, but also because goal-setting is an important ability that young people should have.

Setting a long-term goal helps you learn to manage your time, develop patience and persistence, and become better prepared for the realities of life separated from your parents.

Time management is a major problem for students in high school, the land of cheating, procrastination and stress. But having huge, yearly goals helps you improve that – it forces you to split the goal into smaller increments, or mini-goals.

For example, my personal resolution is to volunteer at least 100 hours this year. Rather than the logistical nightmare of cramming all those hours into my December vacation, I should plan to do at least nine hours a month, a smaller goal that can help me pace myself much better.

Being able to plan out small goals to reach a big goal is crucial for adults, as they have to adopt self-discipline and responsibility as part of having an independent life. For students, it is good preparation for college, a place that gives you much more free time but involves much less supervising.

Goal setting is not just good practice for time management; it is also good for learning diligence and endurance.

If you find yourself giving up once facing the first signs of difficulty, setting resolutions can help overcome that mental barrier.

By accustoming yourself to having your boundaries challenged, you have better self-esteem and more pride in your accomplishments. This translates to a healthier and happier academic, social and personal life.

These traits are also important if you hope to have any sort of leadership position in the future. The simple act of setting a New Year’s resolution can serve as a stepping stone to much larger goals later in your life.

Even if you have never made a single resolution in your life before this year, start doing so. The long-term benefits you can reap in regards to your personal development are enormous, and your academic endeavors become significantly easier to juggle.

If you consistently find yourself procrastinating on your resolutions (as I have), consider the acronym S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, and Time-bound).

By setting simplistic, clearly defined and realistic goals to fulfill in a certain timeframe, goals that have measurable evidence and explicit outcomes, the prospect of New Year’s resolutions becomes much less intimidating.

I also suggest keeping a physical record of your goals, be it in a diary, on a calendar, or on a simple list. Seeing the tangible results can provide an enormous confidence booster, in addition to consistently reminding you of the promises you made.

Other methods of reminding yourself also include hanging up pictures or posters around your house so you can see them every day. If your goal is to lose weight, put up a photo of your desired body type. Remaining optimistic and reminding yourself of the benefits of your goal means you have less incentive to give up.

The significance of resolutions in contributing to personal maturity should not be ignored. Even if you feel it may be incredibly difficult, try to reach your goals using the advice I mentioned. Achieving anything of value means you have challenged yourself.