The if-then plan — a framework by Ole Wang

Hand-drawn diagram of framework 15, The if-then plan: Goals don't start behaviour. Situations do. — Framework 15 · in one look

How to use it

Goals don't start behaviour; situations do. Turn every goal into one sentence: If [time and place], then I [first physical action]. Across 94 tests, these plans had a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals.

How sure we are

S Evidence: strong. Large trials or many studies, pointing the same way.

Sources

Gollwitzer & Sheeran 2006 (meta-analysis, d = .65) · Wang et al. 2021 (with mental contrasting, 15,907 people).

Not medical, legal or financial advice.

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