If-then plans: the meta-analysis behind implementation intentions
Across 94 tests, plans of the form "if X happens, then I will do Y" had a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals.
The short version
Deciding in advance exactly when, where and how you will act — "if situation X arises, then I will do Y" — makes you substantially more likely to reach a goal than simply intending to reach it. Across 94 independent tests, these if-then plans, which psychologists call implementation intentions, had a medium-to-large effect on goal attainment. It is one of the best-supported self-regulation techniques there is.
What the researchers did
Peter Gollwitzer, who introduced the concept of implementation intentions, and Paschal Sheeran ran a meta-analysis of the experimental research on them. They pooled 94 independent tests comparing people who formed if-then plans with people who held only a goal ("I intend to achieve Z"). They also examined the processes by which these plans work, and which kinds of goal-pursuit problems they help with.
What they found
- A medium-to-large effect. Forming implementation intentions improved goal attainment with an effect size of d = 0.65.
- Help getting started. If-then plans promoted the initiation of goal striving — actually starting, rather than putting it off.
- Help staying on course. They shielded ongoing goal pursuit from unwanted influences, such as distractions and competing impulses.
- Help letting go. They helped people disengage from courses of action that were failing.
- Help saving effort. They helped conserve capacity for future goal striving.
- How it works. Specifying the situation makes it more mentally accessible, so you notice it when it comes; linking a response to it makes that response more automatic.
Limits and caveats
The 94 tests cover many kinds of goals, from health behaviour to academic tasks, so the d = 0.65 figure is an average across very different settings rather than a promise for workplace focus specifically. Like most meta-analyses of the period, it may be inflated by publication bias. If-then plans also depend on a goal you actually hold; they make a real intention more effective, not a half-hearted one.
What it means for how you work
Turn vague intentions into specific triggers. Instead of "I'll work on the proposal this week", try "If it's 9:00 on Tuesday, then I open the proposal and write the outline first." For distractions, plan the response too: "If I feel the urge to check my phone, then I write the urge down and keep going." Later studies show these distraction-focused plans work for adults (Achtziger et al., 2008) and for children (Wieber et al., 2011). A time log is a good way to check whether your plans are being carried out.