Coaching practices for If Then Planning Coaching

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

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

• The people I coach leave fired up with a plan, but the first ordinary snag throws them and the whole thing quietly dies
• I make perfectly sensible plans but they sit there feeling optional, with no real fire behind them
• My plans hold up fine until something throws them off
• My coaching chats end on a warm "I’ll try to get to it" that I let slide as if it were a plan
• 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. Obstacle anticipation before close
   Before ending, ask "what could get in the way?" and pre-plan the response.
   The GROW Coaching Model, Made Practical
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. 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
5. Build a concrete Will commitment
   Convert the chosen option into a specific next action with a date, and ask "what will you do?" not "what will you try?"
   The GROW Coaching Model, 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. 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
8. Generate Options before evaluating any
   Brainstorm all possible paths before judging — then the coachee, not the coach, narrows them.
   The GROW Coaching Model, Made Practical
9. Write when, where, and how plans for every behavioral goal
   Specify exactly when, where, and how you will act — not just what you intend to do.
   Action Planning
10. Separate the planning session from the execution day
    Do your planning in a dedicated session, never on the day you intend to start.
    The Planning Fallacy — Why Your Estimates Are Always Wrong

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