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Implementation Intentions

A specific plan that states when, where, and how you will execute a behavior: 'I will [behavior] at [time] in [location].'

In Depth

Research by Peter Gollwitzer shows that people who use implementation intentions are 2-3 times more likely to follow through. The mechanism works by pre-deciding when and where you'll act, offloading the decision from your future self (who will be tired) to your current self (who has mental bandwidth). This makes the cue obvious and reduces the cognitive load of deciding when to act.

Example

Instead of 'I will exercise more,' use 'I will run for 20 minutes at 6:30 AM in my neighborhood on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.' The specificity makes the behavior 2-3x more likely to happen.

Common Misconception

Implementation intentions work for all types of behaviors, when they're most effective for discrete, repeatable actions and less useful for complex, context-dependent behaviors.

Source

Atomic Habits

James Clear

planninggoal-settingbehavior changepsychology

Related Concepts

builds on

Test Your Understanding

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According to research by Peter Gollwitzer, people who use implementation intentions are how much more likely to follow through on their intentions?

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The implementation intention formula is: 'I will [behavior] at [_____] in [location].'