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goals
You reach goals faster when you create an if-then plan.
Formulating 'if-then' statements increases the likelihood of goal attainment because it delegates control to the environment.
By specifying exactly when and where you will act, you bypass the need for conscious willpower. Your brain learns to treat the specified trigger as a cue, automatically initiating the behavior when the opportunity arises. You essentially program your own responses to external stimuli.
Willpower is often replaced by a well-timed trigger.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Gollwitzer, 1999, American Psychologist
- What the check found
- The core claim that if-then planning enhances goal attainment by automating responses to environmental cues is well-supported by Gollwitzer's research.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.