In the first few weeks of the new year, the gyms are packed, everyone is vegan, and budgets are locked in place. But how do we ride this ambitious high into our actual lives? Whether you’re a “new year, new me” kind of person or even if new year’s resolutions aren’t quite your thing — we can’t deny that there is value in making goals and working towards them.

Face it: you’re never going to have any more free time than you do right now. “I’ll get to it later” is a total myth. Relationships (and breakups) happen, children are born, and family demands only increase while things at work seem to pull on us more and more. It can be overwhelming and when there’s a lot on your plate, it can feel easier to ignore everything on your list rather than to divide and conquer. Nobody has it all figured out, but there are some women out here killing it and noticeably crossing some major things off of their to do list. We caught up with 5 of these inspiring women in the fashion and media industries to see how they’ve managed to chase their dreams year-around and turn resolutions into accomplishments.

Jourdan Guyton is an actress and model, and with her new web series “Two Grown” making a hit on BET, you’re bound to see more of her soon. You don’t write, produce and land a show on a major network without knowing a few things about goal setting. Jourdan says,

I create a few different goal lists: yearly goals, monthly goals (I write these at the top of each month), and lastly I write a daily todo list…MOST mornings lol. I’ve realized that when I break the bigger goals down into daily tasks, it’s so much easier to keep my eye on the prize. It’s also so important to celebrate the small victories. Motivate yourself and be your biggest hype (wo)man!

We’re equally inspired by Tanece Moore, a former publicist turned Urban Marketing Assistant at Atlantic Records. She’s early in her career and already making major strides and literally watching her vision board come to life. Mapping things out ahead of times seems to be the key for her:

My tip is to take things one day at a time. Consciously choose everyday to try to make better decisions & discipline yourself. When you make goals, make sure they’re realistic & plan out each month how you can take small steps towards reaching the overall goal. Give yourself a deadline.

Tay Jenée is a marketer who is gaining attention with her thrifted style and natural hair content that will keep you coming back for more. She has also set big goals like becoming the new face of Luster Pink Lotion — one that she knocked out of the park as one of Rolling Out’s 3 finalists featured in the national campaign.  Tay says:

I find that I’m able to be the most successful in following through with goals or resolutions when I set smaller goals that roll up into larger goals. Giving myself smaller targets allow me to have various wins that further encourage me to work harder for the next. I also find that when I share my goals with close friends and/or family whom are like-minded, it helps to hold me that much more accountable.

Tori Lazar started her career as a star style intern at Cosmopolitan magazine before becoming a fashion editor at Atelier Doré, and getting things done as a marketing maven with By Babba. She’s recently started flying solo and she seems to be fearless in her pursuit of her goals. Tori says:

My best advice is to start small and go step by step. Don’t go vegan, get rid of all use of plastic, and begin a workout regimen in the same day…or even week or month. Set short term goals and agendas that will lead you to the overarching mission of your resolutions. Also, be realistic. We are not superhuman and that is OK. The idea of a resolution is to make you feel better, lighter even -- not add to the stress and pressure of life.

Gia Peppers is an on-air talent that has captured are hearts on Black Girl Pod. She’s brought us the tea as a host on Vh1, BET, the NBA and TVOne to name a few. Her career is soaring, but the fruit of her labor was inevitable. Gia WORKS.

The biggest piece of advice I would give to anyone trying to stick to their goals is to write it down and make it plain. Sometimes, it helps to see the things you want to do and then from there create a strategy that is realistic for you to accomplish your goals. Writing it down works on two levels — it encodes whatever you jot down in to your long term memory and when you put what you write in plain sight, you can visually remind yourself what you need to accomplish everyday. Do your best to execute realistic goals by setting dates and times that you can make work for your schedule. When you truly want do something, you make time for it! So good luck!

We’re all on our own journeys, but the theme seems to remain the same; write down your goals, break them down into small, tangible tasks, and be kind to yourself on the way. Success has no speed or timeline, but it does require hard work. Let’s make flighty resolutions a thing of the past and put our work ethic where our mouths are.

- Kindra Moné