By Andrea Blackwelder

The beginning of the year naturally encourages time spent considering one's successes and failures over the previous year. Importantly, it also allows us to anticipate a fresh start to a new year, one in which we may try to do things differently.

I know I'm not alone in my love for do-overs, self-improvement, and new starts. Some studies estimate that nearly half of all Americans set New Year's resolutions each year. I suspect that the majority of those who create resolutions include a financial goal or two. Sadly, I also suspect that many (if not most) fail to keep their financial New Year's resolution.

Why? Because it's really, really hard to change.

Human nature, it turns out, works against us when it comes to keeping New Year's resolutions. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on why we fail. After all, books (many of them) have been written about the psychology of change. Rather, I'm going to share five simple strategies that can help you avoid failure and find success. They aren't foolproof, but they are definitely an arrow in your quiver when it comes to mastering your financial future.

1. Know Where Your Money Goes

Save first, spend second. Have you ever thought to yourself, "Where does our money go?" Are you surprised to reach the end of the month with very little remaining from your earnings? Many people find it extremely difficult to keep track of their spending. They are frustrated because they are certain that they should be able to save more than they are saving, but they can't seem to stem the flow of money out the door.

You can't fix a problem if you don't understand it. First, start tracking your spending, whether by keeping receipts, using only credit or debit cards, or using an app. It doesn't really matter how you do it, as long as you do it consistently. Second, save first and save automatically. Don't wait until the end of the month to move money from your checking account to your savings account. You can't afford to take the risk that there's nothing left and another month goes by without you moving closer to your goals.

Action Item: Schedule an automatic transfer from your checking to your savings account or investment account to occur a day or two after your paycheck is deposited. By saving first and spending second, you give yourself a fighting chance of not spending every penny you make.

2. Put Some Distance Between You and Your Money

Have you noticed that you just can't seem to keep cash in your wallet? It flies out left and right. Does the intangible nature of credit cards trick you into spending more because you can't see the actual dollars? Psychology at work again.

Money that is quickly accessible is easier to spend than money that requires time, effort, or cost to access. A perfect example is a retirement account, which requires savers and investors to leave the funds in the account until age 59 ½ or risk paying taxes and a potential penalty. People are loathe to access retirement funds, and they'll go to great lengths to avoid it. Not so for savings accounts. The money is easy to access and there's rarely a cost or penalty for doing so. How can you use this knowledge to your advantage? Don't carry cash if you find it hard to manage. If cash works for you, but credit cards get you in trouble, avoid having credit cards in your possession when you go shopping.

Action Item: Keep your emergency savings in a bank that is different from your checking account. Segregating the funds physically and mentally makes you less likely to take action to move the money to where it can be spent.

3. Don't Buy It Until You Can Pay For It

It's old-school advice. The new-school method of putting goods on credit cards to pay off later is not a recipe for short-term or long-term financial success. It's a recipe for regret. Consumer goods are goods that don't maintain value, don't make you money, and typically don't last for a long time. Think of televisions, expensive gadgets, fashion items, and clothing. Often, these are wants, not needs.

If you're carrying credit card debt over every month and paying interest, you need to stop. The interest rates charged by credit cards are astronomical. Do you know what your card issuer charges you for the privilege of borrowing money? You should. It changes the total cost of the item you purchased. You may think you bought a TV for $1,000. If you financed it on a high interest credit card that takes a year to pay off, you paid a whole lot more than $1,000 for your TV.

Action Item: What costly good or service do you plan to purchase in the next couple of years (vacation, car, computer)? Determine what it will cost, divide that amount by the number of months until you need to make the purchase, and start saving in an account that is separate from money to be spent for living expenses.

4. Automation Is Your Friend

Do you ever feel like you don't have a single minute to spare; like if someone adds one more thing to your to-do list, it's all going to come crashing down? You are not alone. We're all feeling over-committed, stressed and stretched thin. You need fewer things to do, not more. That's where automation comes in.

Certain tasks need to happen every month or they run the risk of not happening at all. Example: saving for college. You know you want to do it, you know how to do it, and you're committed to doing it. But logging in, thinking about the contribution amount, and going through the process of scheduling the contribution each month creates barriers for the action taking place.

A better way to master the task is to log in once, set the recurring contribution, and be finished. You're helping yourself toward financial success in multiple ways. First, you're automating the action so you don't have to find time to do to it. Second, you're not giving yourself an opportunity to talk yourself out of the contribution, i.e. coming up with an excuse for why you can't/shouldn't make the contribution this month. Automate everything you can, from bills to savings, and you will have a much higher likelihood of sticking to your resolutions and accomplishing your goals.

Action Item: Start saving for your important goals automatically. Log in to your accounts, choose your payment method, amount, and frequency, and don't give in to the temptation to stop it.

5. Make a Plan and Stick to It

The devil is in the details. Chances are you've heard that before. Good research exists suggesting that a series of small tasks are easier for us to accomplish than one big goal. Consider these two goals: "I want to lose 20 pounds" and "I want to lose one pound every week for 20 weeks." One seems much more achievable than the other.

Changing your financial life and your financial future isn't immediate. It doesn't happen all at once. It's a lot like losing weight. Incremental changes and incremental progress lead to big accomplishments. Having a detailed plan should be the rule for nearly every financial goal, whether large or small. Want to pay off credit card debt? How much are you going to pay? When are you going to pay that amount? For how long do you need to pay that amount? The same set of questions applies to saving for a home or a car, saving for college, or saving for retirement. Write it down and follow your plan.

Action Item: Incrementally increase your contribution to your retirement account. Are you contributing to a Roth IRA? Increase your contribution amount by as much as you can afford, and make the contribution occur automatically. Do you have a 401(k) through your employer? Increase your contribution rate by a percentage point or two. Do it now, while you are motivated.

Don't make creating a promising financial future harder than it has to be. Use smart life-hacks and tricks to encourage yourself and to keep yourself on track. Don't let yourself off the hook.

About the author: Andrea L. Blackwelder, CFP, CDFA, ChFC is co-founder of Wisdom Wealth Strategies in Denver, Colo. Wisdom Wealth Strategies LLC is a registered investment adviser offering advisory services in the states of Colorado and California, and in other jurisdictions where exempted.