With half of January behind us, most of us are already past the stage of thinking about our New Year's resolutions now that the hustle and bustle of daily work has resumed. However, if you actually want to achieve any of those wealth-related goals that you set for yourself on New Year's Day, it would be wise to go ahead and develop a strategy for making it happen while those aspirations are still fresh on your mind. With that said, here are 5 things you can do to ensure that you're looking back on 2018 satisfied with your financial progress next year:

1. Open an Ideal Savings Account

There are literally thousands of savings accounts to choose from, but not all of them have the same terms and conditions. While you may be tempted to just continue your scheduled checking-to-savings transfer with your current bank, it may be worthwhile to kick off the pursuit of your resolutions with the opening of a new savings account based on a thorough comparison. You can use an interest rate calculator to determine which savings product would be best for the amount you're trying to save.

2. Create a Savings Plan

One you've chosen a good savings account, the next step is to decide how much of your income you're going to send to the account in each payment period. A comprehensive savings plan will take your total income and expenditure into account to determine who much you can reasonably commit to saving each week. Breaking the savings plan down to a weekly strategy keeps you from deviating too far from the projected path.

3. Aim for Sustainable and Steady

It can be easy to shoot for the stars when setting financial goals, but falling short can leave you feeling discouraged and demotivated. Thus, it's best to instead choose a percentage that you know you'll be able to reliably deposit. If your current income doesn't allow for an ideal savings strategy, then your focus should shift to obtaining better employment or investing funds to start a business.

4. Start Everything in January

Of course, many times New Year's resolutions involve goals that require you to make drastic life changes, such as choosing a new career path. Although a year might seem like a lot of time, earning educational credentials, launching a career, or building a lucrative business is going to take some groundwork. Instead of putting the hard work off until later, taking the initial baby steps in January will ensure that you've already started along the path early in the year.

5. Recap and Revise on a Monthly Basis

Although your savings plan should be broken down on a weekly level, recapping at the end of each month can help you determine whether your current pace is sufficient to reach the end-of-year goals you're aiming for.

Following Through Isn't as Difficult You're Making It

There's a saying that goes “nothing worth achieving is easy.” However, regardless of the difficulty involved, it's also true that taking the first step is always doable.