Several years ago, I visited a friend in London. On New Year’s Eve, we had dinner at a local bistro, and then did something I had never done: we sipped champagne and set goals for the coming year. Not resolutions, but career and business goals. It’s a tradition I continue to observe.

Setting goals is challenging enough—but the real work is keeping your goals from unraveling as the year unfolds. Here are a few tips for keeping your 2015 goals on track.

1. Document your Goals

The often-cited “Harvard Goals Study” suggests that people with clear written goals achieve more and earn more than those who don’t. Putting your goals into a form that you can review and revise is key to staying on track. Not a writer? Consider developing a visual infographic or mood board to capture the intent of your goals. You can also use goal-setting software tools, such as the ones listed here.

2. Set Interim Outcomes

Let’s say your business revenue was $5 million in 2014 and your goal is to increase revenue by 30 percent in 2015. What might that look like on a monthly or quarterly basis? For example, you might set a monthly revenue goal for the first quarter of 2015 that is less than a 30 percent increase. Chances are you’ll need the first quarter to put processes in place and manage your learning curve as you work toward your goals.

3. Review Your Goals Weekly

Whether you’ve written your goals down, developed an infographic or loaded them into software, set a weekly appointment to review them, assess the past week’s activities and define actions you can take during the coming week.

4. Take Daily Action

What can I do—right here, right now—that supports the goals I’ve set? Asking yourself this simple question on a daily basis is a powerful way to keep yourself on track. For example, reengaging with a lapsed prospect instead of having lunch with a friend you see regularly might be a better use of your goal-focused time.

5. Benchmark Opportunities to Your Goals

It’s called Bright Shiny Object Syndrome. You’ve set your goals, and then you get distracted by a new idea or a shot-in-the-dark possibility. When an idea or opportunity surfaces, test it against your goals with the following questions:

• Does this idea or opportunity bring me closer to achieving my goals?
• How do I know this?
• Is pursuing this idea or opportunity the best use of my time, compared to what I could be doing?
• How will pursuing this idea or opportunity affect current projects or initiatives that support my goals?

An update on New Year’s Eve in London: My friend wanted to launch a business in a warm climate near the ocean, and her goal that year was to relocate to a beachfront community. She now runs a successful real estate company in Florida.