Face it, you're not going to keep your resolutions

New year street party celebrations in Edinburgh (Reuters)

How brave do you feel on the first day of 2013? Pumped for the gym, and that other series of life-changing resolutions? If not, there's no point fretting, says Jezebel: the main reason we fail to meet the goals we set on New Year's is that they're universally overambitious. Time to aim lower folks.

"Why set yourself up for disappointment?" asks Lindy West. "The only foolproof way to meet your goals is to actually set meetable goals".

This means if you resolve to get fit, say, try and scale back commitments. "Don't bankrupt yourself on gym memberships you're never going to use and then shame yourself to death for never using those expensive gym memberships". The more sensible resolution is simpler: "I will go for a walk sometimes".

Also, if you're thinking about being less of a drunk in 2013, today's not the time to set harsh goals (for starters "You're drunk right now!").

The only really useful resolution, according to West, is this - "Just do the same shit you always do but maybe with 10% more purpose and commitment". If that still sounds like an awful lot to ask, however, you could get away with five per cent, or two, or less. Failure's no biggie after all, there's always 2014 to look forward to.

Do you agree? Are you aiming low or thinking big for the new year?