If-Then Plans: The Simple Trick That Helps You Follow Through

“I’ll start exercising.” “I’ll read more.” “I’ll call my grandmother more often.” We make plans like these all the time, and they’re sincere. Yet a week later, most of them have quietly disappeared.

The problem usually isn’t that we don’t care. It’s that the plan is vague. “Exercise more” doesn’t tell you what to do at 6.30 on a tired Tuesday evening, so in that moment, the easier option wins.

Psychologists have studied a very simple fix for this, and it’s one of the most reliable tools in behaviour change research. It’s called an implementation intention, or more simply, an if-then plan.

What an if-then plan is

The psychologist Peter Gollwitzer, who introduced the idea in the 1990s, distinguished between two kinds of intention:

• A goal intention says what you want: “I want to exercise more.”
• An implementation intention says when, where and how you’ll act: “If it’s 7 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, then I’ll walk for 20 minutes around the park.”

The second kind links a specific situation (the “if”) to a specific action (the “then”). When the situation arrives, the decision has already been made. You don’t have to rely on motivation in the moment, because you’ve handed the choice to your earlier, calmer self.

Does it really work?

The evidence is unusually strong for such a simple technique.

In a well-known study published in 2002, Sarah Milne, Sheina Orbell and Paschal Sheeran asked people in the UK to exercise more. One group was a comparison group. A second group read information about the benefits of exercise. A third group did the same and also wrote down exactly when and where they would exercise in the following week.

In the two groups without a specific plan, around 35 to 38 per cent exercised at least once. In the group that made an if-then plan, the figure was 91 per cent.

A larger review by Gollwitzer and Sheeran in 2006 pulled together 94 independent tests of implementation intentions across many areas, including health, studying and environmental habits. Overall, people who made if-then plans were noticeably more likely to reach their goals than people who only set the goal.

Why it works

• It removes the decision. Willpower is often needed most at the moment of choosing. An if-then plan makes the choice in advance.
• It turns cues into triggers. Once you’ve linked “after lunch” to “a ten-minute walk”, lunch itself starts reminding you.
• It protects against obstacles. You can also make plans for what might get in the way, such as “If it’s raining, then I’ll do ten minutes of stretching at home.”

How to write a good if-then plan

1. Pick one goal

Start with a single habit. If-then plans work best when you’re not trying to change everything at once.

2. Choose a clear cue

The “if” should be something you’ll definitely notice: a time, a place or an existing habit. “After I drink my morning tea” works better than “in the morning sometime”.

3. Make the action small and specific

“Then I’ll read five pages” is better than “then I’ll read”. Small actions are easier to start, and starting is most of the battle.

4. Plan for the obstacle

Think of the most likely thing that will stop you, and write a second plan for it. “If I get home too tired to cook, then I’ll make the simple dal I keep ingredients for.”

5. Write it down and say it

Saying your plan aloud or writing it on a card helps it stick. Some people keep their if-then plans on their phone’s lock screen.

Examples to borrow

• If it’s 9 p.m., then I’ll put my phone on the charger in the other room.
• If I sit down at my desk, then I’ll write for ten minutes before opening my email.
• If I feel the urge to snack after dinner, then I’ll make a cup of herbal tea first.
• If it’s Sunday after breakfast, then I’ll call my parents.
• If I notice I’m scrolling in bed, then I’ll put the phone down and read one page.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from habit stacking?

They’re closely related. Habit stacking (“after I brush my teeth, I’ll floss one tooth”), popularised by BJ Fogg and others, is a form of if-then planning that uses an existing habit as the cue.

How many if-then plans should I make?

Start with one or two. Too many at once can become confusing and hard to remember.

What if I miss a day?

Just begin again at the next cue. Research on habits suggests that missing a single occasion doesn’t undo your progress. What matters is returning to the plan.

A small step for today

Choose one thing you’ve been meaning to do. Write a single sentence in this form: “If [time, place or existing habit], then I will [small, specific action].” Put it somewhere you’ll see it tomorrow morning.

Sources and further reading

• Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503.
• Milne, S., Orbell, S., & Sheeran, P. (2002). Combining motivational and volitional interventions to promote exercise participation: Protection motivation theory and implementation intentions. British Journal of Health Psychology, 7(2), 163–184.
• Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.
• Oettingen, G. (2014). Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation. Current.
• Fogg, B. J. (2019). Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.