Implementation Intentions
Also known as: if-then planning, when-then plans
An implementation intention is a specific if-then plan that links a concrete situation to a concrete action: if situation X arises, then I will do Y. It works because the situation itself triggers the behaviour, so you no longer rely on remembering, deciding or feeling motivated in the moment.
| Origin | Peter Gollwitzer, University of Konstanz and NYU, formalised in the 1990s |
|---|---|
| Time required | Under a minute per plan |
| Best for | starting anything, habit building, follow-through, forgetting |
| Difficulty | Very easy |
How to use implementation intentions
- Pick one goal behaviour, stated concretely: 'write the intro section', not 'work on the thesis'.
- Choose a specific trigger: a time, a place, or an event ('when I sit down after lunch').
- Write the full sentence: 'If [trigger], then I will [exact first action].'
- Say it or write it once, deliberately. The encoding is the technique.
- Add an if-then for your usual failure mode too: 'If I reach for my phone, then I put it in the drawer and take one breath.'
This is the best-supported technique in the procrastination literature. A meta-analysis of 94 independent studies found implementation intentions had a medium-to-large effect (d = .65) on goal attainment, across health, academic and everyday goals. The effect works by delegating control of behaviour to the situational cue, and it holds for unpleasant as well as pleasant tasks.
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. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
Common mistakes
- Writing a goal intention ('I will exercise more') instead of an if-then plan. The trigger is the mechanism.
- Vague triggers: 'sometime tomorrow' cues nothing. A cue you can point at, a clock time or an event, does.
- Stacking ten plans at once. One or two per goal; more dilutes them.
Related techniques
Habit StackingTime BlockingFive Second Rule
Frequently asked questions
What is an example of an implementation intention?
'If it is 8:30am and I have made coffee, then I will open the draft and write one paragraph.' Trigger plus exact action, nothing else.
Why do implementation intentions work better than goals?
A goal states what you want; an if-then plan pre-loads when and how you will act, so the situation triggers the action automatically. In Gollwitzer and Sheeran's meta-analysis this added a medium-to-large effect over goal intentions alone.
Do implementation intentions work for procrastination specifically?
Yes, starting is exactly the moment they target. They remove the open decision of when to begin, which is where most procrastination lives.