Coaching practices for If Then Plan Bad Habit

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For If Then Plan Bad Habit, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• I start strong leaving the phone by the door, but then "what if the school calls" or "what if there’s an emergency" creeps in and I cave and grab it back
• The same urge gets me every time
• There’s a predictable moment where I always slip
• I make perfectly sensible plans but they sit there feeling optional, with no real fire behind them
• I can see exactly the moment I’m going to slip

Practices that may help

1. If–Then Planning, Made Practical
   If–then plans (also called implementation intentions) specify in advance how you will respond to the specific situations that typically derail your goals: "If situation X occurs, then I will do Y." A meta-analysis of 94 studies found a medium-to-large effect on goal attainment — one of the most reliable single techniques in goal-setting research.
2. Plan for the common obstacles before they arrive
   Identify your three most likely reasons for abandoning the station and write a specific "if–then" response for each.
   The Phone Foyer Method
3. Write an if–then plan for your most predictable temptation
   "If I feel the urge to [temptation], then I will [alternative action] instead."
   If–Then Planning, Made Practical
4. Arm an if-then plan for the impulsive moment
   Decide in advance exactly what you’ll do when the urge hits, so the impulse meets a plan.
   Delayed Gratification, Made Practical
5. Combine mental contrasting with an if–then plan (MCII)
   Fantasize about success, then vividly imagine the key obstacle, then write the if–then — the sequence matters.
   If–Then Planning, Made Practical
6. Form an if-then plan linking the obstacle to a specific response
   "If [obstacle occurs], then I will [specific action]" — this plan is what converts mental contrasting into behavior change.
   Mental Contrasting and WOOP
7. Set if-then implementation intentions for goal behaviors
   Specify when, where, and how you’ll act — not just whether you intend to.
   Hyperbolic Discounting — Why Future You Always Gets the Short End
8. Build a craving deliberately to cement a new habit
   Create an anticipatory craving for the reward of a new behavior before the reward arrives.
   The Habit Loop, Made Practical
9. Plan for obstacles with coping plans
   Anticipate the specific obstacles most likely to block your plan and pre-decide your response to each.
   Action Planning
10. Apply PDSA to a behavior you want to build or break
    Treat habit formation as a series of small experiments rather than a commitment you either keep or blow.
    Plan–Do–Study–Act: Deming’s Loop for Personal Improvement

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