Remember that one glorious night not too long ago when you were pumped full of champagne and big ideas? You promised yourself that this would be the year you accomplish <insert goal here>, and you resolved to make it happen. And then you shouted something inaudible above the crowd to your friends, kissed a random stranger and then danced the night away. Yep, that night.

It’s now time for a pulse check. How are you doing on <insert goal here>? Have you accomplished it? Are you at least on your way to accomplishing it? The year is almost 50 percent complete by the way (pretend I said that in my most optimistic voice).

There’s a reason you want to accomplish these things, so respect that desire and do something about it. You can turn this train around if you commit yourself to doing it. Here are six tricks that may help you to achieve your goals faster.

1. Look at it

A goal that you can actually see is massively more powerful than a goal you write down on a checklist. This is a favorite technique of mine and it works very well if you’re a visual learner.

Every year, a friend of mine spreads magazines all over her living room and invites her girlfriends over for a “vision board” party. Vision boards are comprised of pictures (from the magazines) that motivate the creator of that board. Want to lose weight? Cut out a pic of a bikini clad model (don’t pick a model that’s totally out of your league, be realistic). Want to make more money? Cut out a pic that speaks to you on that level. You get the idea.

These days, you can even hit the inter-webs for a little vision board action. If you have a goal to become a better cook at home, you can visualize (and motivate yourself) much better if you throw a few attractive recipes up on your Pinterest board. Have a goal to make it to the next level in your career? Hit up Instagram and find someone who posts quotes all day long

2. Tell people

I was going through Facebook recently and stumbled on one of my friend’s blog post. In it, she was announcing her intentions to change her world in a big way, getting in shape and becoming that healthy lady she’s always wanted to be. She was open with her goals and descriptive in what she was aiming to accomplish.

And you know what? I firmly believe she’s going to do it.

Making yourself accountable to your friends and family is one of the best ways to reach your goals. Sure, it’s uncomfortable to share your setbacks. But when you do, you’re going to get emails from friends who have experienced the same and they’ll get your mind back on track. And when you tell them about the milestones you reach, you’re going to get applause from people wishing they were you and reaching those same goals too.

When you tell people your goals, they will jump in the boat with you and help you get there. You will be shocked by the support you’ll get from your network. You’ll be even more surprised by the people who come out of the woodwork to join you in your journey or privately cheer you on, knowing what you’re going through.

And if you’re the masochistic, egotistical type, this tactic works wonders. Just think…you’ve told everyone you know that you’re heading out to accomplish this goal. If you don’t do it, there will be some embarrassment in it for you. Hey, whatever works!

3. Break it up

Many people abandon goals because they’re just too big. If you’ve done this to yourself, stop now. Change your game plan.

Take for instance the goal of becoming your own boss. It’s a noble goal, but if you’re a cubicle dweller, it’s a hefty one. So break it up into bite-sized chunks. Start by launching a side hustle and see where that takes you. Choose milestones to get there and make each of those a tiny goal. Perhaps a percentage of traffic increase on your website, or reaching a certain number of clients or bringing in a certain amount of revenue. Breaking your big goal into small ones will make jumping off the cliff of self-employment a much more feasible option for you.

4. Set a date

One of the best ways to knock out a goal is to put it on your calendar. If you put a stake in the ground and impose a date on yourself, you’re much more likely to reach it.

Do you want to run your first marathon? That’s awesome, but it’s useless if you don’t even know which one, when or where. So before you buy those pretty pink shoes, join a running team or even get off the couch, I recommend you just suck it up and sign up for the actual race. Set a date for yourself so you have something to work towards.