New year’s resolutions can be some of the most temporarily infuriating things in one’s life (until one completely gives up on them, that is). Often we resolve to do things that we know are good for us, but require us to commit to things that are unpleasant. Of course, if we were always able to do good things for ourselves, there would be no need for resolutions. Quitting smoking, eating better, exercising, losing weight, cutting out alcohol or certain foods; all of these things require sustained and focused effort. A new article in The Wall Street Journal encourages people to use “the Placebo Effect” to help them reach their new year’s resolution goals.

The Placebo effect is a psychological phenomenon that is prevalent in scientific and medical studies. It’s the idea that a patient receives some kind of false treatment for a malady they’re suffering from, but do feel better and measurably improve. For instance, a medical study is conducted to test heart medications. To control for how people would respond naturally, without treatment, some are given a sugar pill with no medicinal value. The others are given the actual medication. However, the patients taking the sugar pill so actually feel somewhat improved. Call it “mind over matter” or what you will, the placebo effect is so common in studies that researchers need to account for it in their margin of error.

So how do we apply the placebo effect in our own lives? The idea is to convince yourself that any progress, even very little progress, is still movement in the right direction. If your goal is to start running again, it’s to just start moving. Even if it’s walking on a treadmill for fifteen minutes, it’s still activity. Research shows that small behavioral changes like this are likely to have ripple effects, initiating more changes, and larger changes, in other parts of our lives.

Won’t we just know we’re tricking ourselves? Technically, yes, but as the WSJ article pointed out, even after patients are told that they are taking a sugar pill, it still made them feel better and improve somewhat. By focusing on what we’re doing, or what we get to do, we’re more likely to continue with it. If you want to eat healthier, focus on the foods that you are allowed to eat, rather than what needed to be cut out. If you’re starting to exercise, focus on task at hand, rather than what you could be doing otherwise. If you want to stop smoking, focus on some other activity that you enjoy doing when you feel the urge.

By playing a little mental gymnastics, it’s easier for our rational brain to overpower our impulsive one. By utilizing little tricks that mimic the placebo effect, we can benefit by improving towards our goals, rather dealing with the frustration and disappointment of giving up.