Coaching practices for When Plans Go Wrong Behavior
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For When Plans Go Wrong Behavior, 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
- There are a few situations that go badly every single time
- When I ask myself "what could go wrong with this plan," I either draw a blank or come up with one vague worry
- It’s always the same thing that knocks me off
- I’m about to commit to this plan and on paper it looks solid, but a quiet part of me suspects I’m too sold on it to see the holes
Practices that may help
- 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 - Plan behavior management strategies in advance
Decide how you will respond to predictable problems before they happen.
Triple P Parenting (Matthew Sanders) - Run the basic pre-mortem
Assume the plan failed, then have everyone write down why.
The Pre-Mortem: Imagine It Already Failed - 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 - The premortem (imagine the project already failed)
Before starting, assume the plan has already failed and ask why — then fix it now.
Premeditatio Malorum, in Depth - 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 - Pre-identify your temptations before writing the contract
Knowing specifically when and how you’ll be tempted lets you write a contract that covers those scenarios.
Commitment Contracts, Made Practical - Begin the day with a reserve-clause plan
Plan tomorrow’s priorities in full — then add: "These are my intentions; how today actually unfolds is not entirely mine to determine."
The Stoic Reserve Clause - Design decisions so they work even if some things go wrong
Ask: does this plan require everything to go right? If so, redesign it.
Margin of Safety - 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
Related concerns
- How Do You Handle Change Especially Unexpected Changes In Plans
Anticipate the specific obstacles most likely to block your plan and pre-decide your response to each.
Plan for obstacles with coping plans
- If Then Planning As A Parent
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.
- If Then Planning For My Teenager
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.
- When Acceptance Of Uncertainty Problem Solving For Real Problems
Apply problem-solving only to real, current problems — and use uncertainty tolerance for the hypothetical ones.
Separate solvable problems from hypothetical worries
- When Commitment Contracts Temptation Identification
Knowing specifically when and how you’ll be tempted lets you write a contract that covers those scenarios.
Pre-identify your temptations before writing the contract
- Alternative Behavior Plan
Anticipate the specific obstacles most likely to block your plan and pre-decide your response to each.
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