Coaching practices for If Then Plan for People

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

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

• My plans hold up fine until something throws them off
• I make perfectly sensible plans but they sit there feeling optional, with no real fire behind them
• I genuinely intend to do the thing
• I can see exactly the moment I’m going to slip
• It’s always the same thing that knocks me off

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 obstacles with coping plans
   Anticipate the specific obstacles most likely to block your plan and pre-decide your response to each.
   Action Planning
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. Use if–then commitments for predictable barriers
   Pre-plan your response to the specific situations most likely to derail the action.
   Committed Action, Made Practical
7. Write an if–then plan for your biggest obstacle
   "If [obstacle occurs], then I will [specific response]" — pre-deciding removes the obstacle’s power.
   If–Then Planning, Made Practical
8. Audit plans for scenario inflation
   Before committing to a plan that depends on multiple things going right, count the dependencies.
   The Conjunction Fallacy — When "More Details" Feels More Likely
9. Rate each plan on confidence, interest, and coherence
   Score each plan on whether you find it engaging, whether you could execute it, and whether it fits who you are.
   Odyssey Plans: Designing Three Alternative Futures
10. Specify the when and where for every goal action
    "I will do [behavior] at [time] in [location]" — specificity creates an automatic trigger.
    If–Then Planning, Made Practical

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