If-Then Planning
For anyone who means it every time they set a goal, and still finds it slipping by the end of the week.
If-then planning, which psychologists call implementation intentions, means deciding in advance exactly when, where and how you will act: “If it is 6 a.m. on Monday, then I will walk for 20 minutes.” It also works for obstacles: “If I miss a workout, then I will go the next morning.” Research shows these specific plans make people much more likely to follow through than goals alone.
I have a simple rule: if I miss a workout, that doesn’t mean I’ve failed. It means I need to get back in the gym tomorrow.
That is an if-then plan. The miss is the if. Getting back tomorrow is the then. I do not have to decide whether to quit, feel guilty or start over. The decision is already made.
Most of the time, people don’t need more information. They need a decision. An if-then plan is a decision made before you need it.
The research is strong. In a well-known study by Sarah Milne, Sheina Orbell and Paschal Sheeran, 91 percent of people who wrote down exactly when and where they would exercise followed through, compared with about 35 to 38 percent of those who did not. A review of 94 studies by Peter Gollwitzer and Sheeran found consistent benefits across many kinds of goals.
Good intentions are not a plan. When and where is.
How to make an if-then plan in five steps
Pick one goal
If-then planning works best on one specific goal at a time: exercising, writing, making sales calls, putting your phone away at dinner.
Choose a specific cue
“If it is 7 a.m. on a weekday” or “If I sit down at my desk after lunch.” The cue should be clear enough that you will recognize it when it happens.
Attach the action
“Then I will write for 20 minutes.” Make the action specific and small enough to do every time the cue shows up.
Plan for your biggest obstacle
“If I feel too tired after work, then I will do just ten minutes.” “If I miss a day, then I will do it first thing tomorrow.” Planning for the obstacle takes away its power.
Write it down and review it
Written plans work better than mental ones. Put it on your calendar or a sticky note, and look at it during your weekly review.
An if-then plan is a decision
made before you need it.
If-then planning examples
If it is Monday, Wednesday or Friday at 6 a.m., then I will go to the gym. If I open my laptop in the morning, then I will work on my top priority before email. If I feel the urge to check my phone at dinner, then I will put it in another room. If I miss my daily writing, then I will write first thing the next morning.
Related reading: Habit Stacking, How to Get Back on Track and How to Hold Yourself Accountable.
Common questions
What is if-then planning?
If-then planning, or implementation intentions, is deciding in advance exactly when, where and how you will act toward a goal, written as “If [situation], then I will [action].”
Does if-then planning really work?
Yes. A review of 94 studies by Peter Gollwitzer and Paschal Sheeran found consistent benefits, and in one exercise study, 91 percent of people with a specific plan followed through compared with about 35 to 38 percent without one.
What is an example of an implementation intention?
“If it is 7 a.m. on a weekday, then I will walk for 20 minutes.” Or for an obstacle: “If I miss a workout, then I will go the next morning.”
How is if-then planning different from setting a goal?
A goal says what you want. An if-then plan says exactly when, where and how you will act, and what you will do when something gets in the way.
Decide when, where and how you will act, and what you will do when something gets in the way. Make the decision before you need it.
You Are Capable
of More.
Ten principles for becoming the person you know you are capable of being, built from real stories of people who doubted themselves and did it anyway. Winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival.
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Sometimes that’s twice in a month. Sometimes it’s not for a while.