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Module 7 · Lesson 2 · Core

If-then plans: decide in advance

Turn vague intentions into cue-and-action plans, and say why they help.

  • 50 minutes
  • Serves O6
  • Assumes M7.L1

Phase 1: Prepare

Step 1 Warm-up recall

From M7.L1: 24 hours over 4 weeks is how many a week?

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Step 2 Learning goal

By the end of this lesson you can:

  • define an implementation intention (Foundation);
  • rewrite a vague goal (Core);
  • say what makes a good cue (Core).

Phase 2: Teach

Step 3 A familiar example

Putting your keys by the door and deciding "when I get home, keys go here" removes the daily choice. A study plan can do the same.

Step 4 Clear explanation

Gollwitzer (1999) described implementation intentions: plans in the form "if situation X, then I do Y". They tie an action to a cue so that you do not have to decide again in the moment. A review by Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006) found that such plans helped people reach their goals more often than goals alone, on average across many studies.

Ifa clear cueThena small actionNo debatedecided already
An if-then plan joins a cue to an action, so the decision is made in advance.
Vague intentionIf-then plan
I will study moreIf it is 17:00 on a weekday, then I sit at my desk and open the notes
I will avoid my phoneIf I start a session, then I put my phone in the hallway
I will review weeklyIf it is Sunday after lunch, then I review the week’s missed items

A good cue is specific (a time or place), reliable (it happens anyway) and easy to notice. A good action is small and clear. "I will study more" gives no cue and no action. "If it is 17:00 on a weekday, then I sit at my desk and open the notes" gives both.

Write two or three plans only; a long list is itself hard to keep. Include a plan for obstacles: "If my friends invite me out on a study night, then I study first for 30 minutes and then go." If a plan keeps failing, change the cue, not your opinion of yourself. See mastery learning for the idea of moving on only when a step is secure.

Step 5 Worked example (4 marks)

Rewrite "I will revise more" as an if-then plan, and count its parts.

  1. Cue: if it is 18:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. (1 mark)
  2. Action: then I study topic A for 45 minutes at my desk. (1 mark)
  3. Parts: one cue and one action, so 2 parts. (1 mark)
  4. Answer: "If it is 18:00 on Mon, Wed and Fri, then I study topic A for 45 minutes at my desk." (1 mark)

Phase 3: Practise

Step 6 Learner practice (instant-marked)

1. An implementation intention has the form:

2. Which is the best cue?

3. An if-then plan helps by:

4. If a plan keeps failing you should:

Phase 4: Close

Step 7 Recap

  • If-then plans link a cue to an action.
  • Make cues specific and actions small.
  • Keep to a few plans and adjust failures.

Step 8 Exit ticket (ungraded)

Rewrite "I will avoid my phone" as an if-then plan.

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Step 9 Go further (Extension)

Write two if-then plans for your next week of study.

Common mistakes

MistakeWhy it fails
Writing goals with no cueAdd a time or place.
Too many plansKeep to two or three.
Making the action too bigStart small.

Limits. The average benefit across studies is moderate and varies; plans work best for goals you already want.

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