After all, goals are essential to building the life you want to have. But they don't come easily or quickly. Warren Buffett—a guy who knows something about planning for the future—famously said: “Someone is sitting in shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” If we put in the work now, by new year's we'll be seeing some serious return on investment.

If you're considering a fitness resolution, you're in luck. There's no better time to get serious about working out. Fall's weather is much nicer than in the dead of summer when it comes to working out in the outdoors. And suddenly, there's plenty of helpful guidance to help you find a routine you can do effectively from home.

Of course, there are plenty of other worthy resolutions to make and beneficial habits to pursue. You could commit to reading an hour each day—not the news, but something that will take you out of your day-to-day thinking, be it an engrossing piece of nonfiction or a novel that'll transport you to another time and place. You might want to set aside time each workday to network. Now that many of us are working remotely, maintaining those professional contacts will be vital.

Whatever you're hoping to check off your to-do list this fall, make sure it's something you want to do. Because if it feels like a chore, it's never going to be sustainable (especially once winter hits and the excuses start flowing). Carder Stout, PhD, a Los Angeles-based psychologist who focuses on the unconscious side of our psyche, reiterates that resolutions of any size need to be thought of as a long game. He says that setting a resolution without a plan sets you up for failure from the get-go.

If your goal is to argue less with your partner or spend less time on your phone, for example, he suggests choosing a day (or even just a morning) each week to simplify. Use your phone only as a phone and turn off wifi and any notifications. Or when it comes to your partner, only speak to answer someone's direct question and spend the rest of the time really listening to them. Both exercises challenge you to be more present and help you diffuse the background noise and distractions getting in the way. Dr. Stout says success often revolves around a willingness to lower our pulse rate and redefine our expectations. Not a bad way to kickstart a much-needed refresh, right?