In college, my roommate Jack announced his big New Year’sresolution — to finally stop smoking. He was a long-distance runnerand was seeing the toll his habit was taking on hisperformance.

By mid-January, however, it was clear that his resolution waswas not to stop smoking cigarettes, it was tostop buying them. Every time he felt the urge to smoke,he asked to “borrow” a cigarette from one of my other roommates. ByFebruary, his resolution was forgotten.

Resolutions don’t work. Think about the thousands of people whosign up every year with a local health club, resolving to go aminimum of three times a week for the year to finally get in shape.The owners and managers of those clubs love this time of yearbecause they know that by February, most of those people will havestopped coming on a regular basis, but they’ll have to continue topay on their contracts until year’s end.

Difference is in the details

As you’re reading this, financial and insurance professionalseverywhere are making 2017 New Year’s resolutions to make morecalls, or to make and keep more appointments — to make more sales.But by the end of January, those resolutions will most likely havebeen forgotten as well, and these professionals will be backto the habits of 2016.

This year, create a real, detailed, working businessplan. The difference is in the details. Resolutions failbecause they are the expression of a wish — something you wantto try to accomplish. They don’t includedetails, planning, an analysis of where you are and what needs tochange, smaller process goals and periodicmilestones. These are things that go into a businessplan.

If you want to move from the incremental growth of 2016 (if youhad any growth) to exponential growth in 2017, a resolution won’tcut it — but a written, detailed, working business plan will giveyou a fighting chance.

I’m not talking here about the kind of business plan thatsomeone prepares for investors. I’m talking about something thatwill make 2017 your best year ever.

What you need to create a business plan

Here’s what you need to do to create a business plan:

1. Determine what your mission for the year willbe. What’s your ultimate goal? How many newapplications do you want to open? How much more do you want to addto assets under management? How much more money do you want toearn? How many people do you want to help so that they can retirecomfortably when they’re ready? What’s your “burning desire” — asNapoleon Hill called it — for 2017?

2. Identify your sales and personalgoals. What are the smaller goals that fit into thatmission? Do you need to get healthier to improve your availableenergy to meet the mission? What sales goals will be keyperformance indicators?

3. Analyze what’s working for you, whatisn’t. In the business world, this is called the SWOTanalysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Whatare you good at that you can leverage, and what opportunities areout there that you can take advantage of? What will hold youback — internally, and in the world around you? You’ll need toaddress all of these.

4. Choose the client you will build your planaround. Your ideal, target client should be clearlydefined before designing your plan around this prototype.

5. List and schedule the activities that will getyou there. Starting with the end in mind, figure outwhat needs to be done daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly toaccomplish your mission by the end of the year.

6. Set milestones. Where should you be atthe end of every month? Know where you are now and adjust what youneed to adjust to get where you’re trying to go at eachcheckpoint.

7. Have someone other than you hold youaccountable to stick to the plan. Most advisors —most people — aren’t sufficiently disciplined to hold themselvesaccountable. Give someone a copy of your plan and report yourprogress to him or her, both when you’re on track, and whenyou’re not.

Related: New year, new theme, massive productivitygains