Implementation Intentions: Deciding When and Where in Advance
Implementation intentions: A plan in the form "when situation X arises, I will do Y" — deciding in advance exactly when and where a behaviour happens rather than leaving it to the moment.
Where the idea comes from
Peter Gollwitzer introduced the term in the 1990s, distinguishing goal intentions ("I will write more") from implementation intentions ("at 09:30, at my desk, I will write the methods section"). A 2006 meta-analysis with Paschal Sheeran across 94 independent tests reported a medium-to-large effect, d = .65 — the number most articles still quote.
How it shows up
- Genuine intentions that never attach to a moment
- Plans expressed as amounts rather than times: "more exercise", "less scrolling"
- Knowing exactly what you should do and deciding again, badly, every day
Practical steps to try
- Write the plan as when-and-where, not what: a time, a place, a first action
- Attach it to an existing cue — after coffee, when the laptop opens, on arriving at the desk
- Keep the action small enough that the plan is never unreasonable
- Add a second clause for the obstacle you already know about
Where the popular version overreaches
The early effect estimate should not be treated as a guarantee for an individual. A later synthesis covers 642 tests; effects differ by goal, planning components and study design, and publication bias matters. The page does not reproduce an independent meta-analysis. A precise plan cannot resolve a goal you do not want or supply missing resources.
Common questions
- Does the if-then format actually matter?
- It appears to. The proposed mechanism is that specifying a cue makes the situation itself trigger the action, rather than requiring you to remember and decide. Vague intentions have nothing to attach to.
- How is this different from a to-do list?
- A list names an action. An implementation intention also specifies a cue and response. Neither guarantees that the action will happen.
Sources
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