Here is an article about priests’ tips for a good confession.  One that I would add is this: don’t confess your sins as if you let down your father. Many confess their sins as if they’re admitting to a stearn father that, yes, they broke the window. Overcoming our weaknesses and sins is something we can only do by the grace of God. In confession we are seeking forgiveness and also that grace. We are not just “fessing up” to our failures.