Coaching practices for If Then Reasoning
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For If Then Reasoning, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I’m betting on "this will happen and then that will follow," and the link between them feels airtight to me
- I tend to lock in on a decision the moment the first result looks good and just stop there, and I want to actually keep going
- I make perfectly sensible plans but they sit there feeling optional, with no real fire behind them
- I traced a problem down to what felt like the real cause and it all hangs together so neatly that I trust it completely
- I’m about to reason through something where, honestly, I already badly want one particular answer to be true
Practices that may help
- 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. - Red-team joint scenarios before betting on them
Before acting on a conjunction ("X will happen AND Y will follow"), assign a skeptic to attack the "and."
The Conjunction Fallacy — When "More Details" Feels More Likely - Ask “and then what?” three times
Don’t stop at the first consequence — follow the chain at least two steps further.
Second-Order Thinking: And Then What? - 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 - Verify the root cause by tracing back up the chain
After reaching a root, work back up: does each "because" in the chain make logical sense?
The Five Whys - Distinguish directional from accuracy goals before you start
Before reasoning about something, ask whether you are trying to reach a specific answer or the correct one.
Motivated Reasoning - Second-Order Thinking: And Then What?
Second-order thinking, a discipline associated with investor Howard Marks, means tracing the consequences of your consequences — asking "and then what?" past the immediate result to the reactions, side effects, and feedback that follow. It is a reasoning heuristic rather than a trial-tested intervention, but it counteracts the well-documented human bias toward judging a choice only by its first, most visible outcome. - Catch yourself working backward from a conclusion
Notice when the conclusion appeared before the evidence — and treat that as a red flag.
Motivated Reasoning - 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 - Test each component probability separately
Before judging a joint claim, estimate each element on its own, then check whether the conjunction is lower.
The Conjunction Fallacy — When "More Details" Feels More Likely
Related concerns
- And Then What
Don’t stop at the first consequence — follow the chain at least two steps further.
Ask “and then what?” three times
- And Then What Technique
The Feynman Technique is a four-step loop: pick a concept, explain it in plain language as if teaching a beginner, notice exactly where the explanation breaks down, and go back to fill those gaps. It works because explaining forces you to generate and retrieve the material, which exposes the difference between recognizing an idea and actually understanding it.
- First Who Then What Collins
Prioritize who is doing the work before deciding what to do.
Get the right people on the bus before setting direction
- If Then Rules Behavior
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.
- Show Then Do
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.
- Approach Goal Implementation Intention
Lock approach goals to specific when-and-where plans so the positive aim has a concrete trigger.
Attach approach goals to implementation intentions
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