Funny how New Year’s resolutions tend to have less to do with looking forward to the 12 months ahead than with trying to erase the one month that just went by. ’Round about January 1, most of us are vowing to lose the poundage packed on during December, to reverse the drinking and smoking habits spurred by the hell that is holiday shopping and office parties, and to learn to better manage our spending habits — and stress level. Noble endeavors all, and fortunately, help is at hand to make them a bit easier.

If motivational speakers are to be believed, then keeping a "success journal" is essential to realizing your goals: it helps you define your objectives and chart your progress, and it holds you accountable for any slip-ups along the way. Jamaicaway Books & Gifts offers an array of hardcover spiral-bound journals from Cochet Studios ($9.50–$11.50), available in various sizes and colors. You can use your journal to, say, document your progress losing weight, which is made even more effective with the proper guidance and training. Borders sells a full line of fitness-related videos and DVDs, including Crunch Cardio Sculpt: The Body Sculpting Fat Burning Blast! (14.98) on DVD, and Kathy Smith’s Fat-Burning Breakthrough ($9.98) on VHS.

If 2004 is the year you plan to become an ex-smoker, you can either spend all your time in a now-smoke-free Boston-area bar or restaurant, or take a more direct approach to kicking the habit. CVS has NicoDerm CQ Step One Patches ($49.99/14). For slightly more money (and a lot more mysticism), you can pay a visit to "The Mad Russian," the energy-field healer Yefim Shubentsov, whose Brookline office has hosted the likes of Courteney Cox, Billy Joel, and author Amy Tan, all of whom confirm his claims of a 98 percent success rate for smoking cessation. One 90-minute session ($65), he claims, can cure your cravings.

If reckless spending is your drug of choice, then perhaps it’s time for a little financial tough love. The Boston Center for Adult Education offers Personal Finance 101 ($58), a beginner’s course in money management that covers everything from budgeting and savings plans to retirement planning. The class is held on January 22 and 29, and February 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. It’s taught by American Express financial adviser Bronia Sullivan.

Resolving on major change can create quite a bit of pressure. To learn to deal with the stress, head over to one of Baron Baptiste’s Power Vinyasa Yoga Studios. One of America’s best-known yoga instructors also happens to offer some of the cheapest classes in town: $12 each, and student discounts are available.

Where to find it:

• Baron Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga, 139 Columbus Avenue, Boston; 2000 Mass Ave, Cambridge, (617) 441-2144; www.baronbaptiste.com.

• Borders, various locations; www.borders.com

• Boston Center for Adult Education, 5 Comm Ave, Boston, (617) 267-4430; www.bcae.org.

• CVS, various locations; www.cvs.com.

• Jamaicaway Books & Gifts, 676 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, (617) 983-3204, www.jamaicawaybooks.com.

• Yefim Shubentsov, 1680A Beacon Street, Brookline, (617) 232-3930.