Coaching practices for I Genuinely Intend to Do the Thing I'm Not Even Fighting Myself About it but the Moment Just Slips Past Unnoticed and Suddenly the Day's Over and I Never Did it Because I Left it as a Someday I'll Get to it Instead of a Specific When and Where
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For I Genuinely Intend to Do the Thing I'm Not Even Fighting Myself About it but the Moment Just Slips Past Unnoticed and Suddenly the Day's Over and I Never Did it Because I Left it as a Someday I'll Get to it Instead of a Specific When and Where, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I genuinely intend to do the thing
- I genuinely intend to do the thing, but the day just fills up and suddenly it’s night and I never found the moment
- I keep telling myself I’ll get to it "sometime today" and then the day just dissolves and I never do
- I genuinely mean to do it, but the day swallows it every time and “I’ll get to it” never actually turns into doing it
- I tell myself I’ll do it "sometime today" and then the day fills up and somehow it never happens
Practices that may help
- 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 - Make it obvious with an implementation intention
Pre-decide the when-and-where: “I will [behavior] at [time] in [location].”
Atomic Habits, Made Practical - 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 - 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 - Schedule mini habits at fixed times rather than flexible "whenever"
A specific time commitment outperforms an intention without a time — even for the smallest habits.
Mini Habits, Made Practical - Distinguish genuine deferral from disguised refusal
An item that has been on the someday list for two or more years is not deferred — it has been declined without being acknowledged.
The Someday List - Fund and schedule one item now
Put money and a date on one item before the session ends — nothing else converts intention to action as reliably.
The Bucket List Method - Protect the someday list from contamination by current work
The someday list loses its value if it fills up with current tasks that belong in your active project system.
The Someday List - Use the "little and often" approach for long projects
Chip at big projects every day in small doses rather than saving them for marathon sessions.
Do It Tomorrow, Made Practical - Attach approach goals to implementation intentions
Lock approach goals to specific when-and-where plans so the positive aim has a concrete trigger.
Approach vs Avoidance Goals
Related concerns
- When Action Planning When Where How Plan
Specify exactly when, where, and how you will act — not just what you intend to do.
Write when, where, and how plans for every behavioral goal
- When Atomic Habits Implementation Intentions
Pre-decide the when-and-where: “I will [behavior] at [time] in [location].”
Make it obvious with an implementation intention
- When If Then Planning When Where If Then
"I will do [behavior] at [time] in [location]" — specificity creates an automatic trigger.
Specify the when and where for every goal action
- Implementation Intention Missed Day
"If I miss [behavior], then I will [specific recovery action] within [time window]."
Write a recovery if–then for when you slip
- Implementation Intention When Where
Specify exactly when, where, and how you will act — not just what you intend to do.
- When Environment Design Visual Cue Placement
Put the cue for the behavior you want in your direct field of view at the moment you need to act.
Make cues for healthy behaviors obvious and visible
Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.