If-then plans: a small technique with a large evidence base

An if-then plan, which researchers call an implementation intention, links a specific cue to a specific action: “If I close my laptop, then I put my keys in my bag.” The idea is to decide in advance so that the moment itself does not require a decision.

What the evidence says

A 2024 meta-analysis pooled 642 independent tests and found that forming if-then plans was effective for cognitive, emotional and behavioural outcomes ¹.

The same analysis reports three things that made plans work better:

• The conditional form. Plans written as “if X, then Y” had larger effects ².
• Wanting the goal. Effects were larger when people were highly motivated to pursue it ³.
• Rehearsal. Effects were larger when the plan was rehearsed ⁴.

In ADHD, the studies we found are in children. Children with ADHD who were told to form an if-then plan made fewer perseverative errors on a task-switching test ⁵. In another study, children with ADHD did better on a delay-of-gratification task after forming if-then plans ⁶.

What we don’t know

We found no trial of if-then plans in adults with ADHD for everyday tasks.

A plan does not create the wish to do something. The meta-analysis found larger effects in people who were already motivated ³, which means the technique helps most with things you want to do and keep not doing.

It may also work less well for some people. In one study, if-then plans increased fruit and vegetable intake only in people low in impulsive urgency, and not in those high in it ⁷. In an experiment with 152 students, those who planned when and where they would attend were nearly eight times more likely to keep an appointment, but the plan was not significantly more effective for those who tended to procrastinate ⁸.

Things to try

Write a plan for one thing you already want to do. Use the conditional form and a cue you will reliably meet: “When I finish breakfast, I open the document.” Then repeat it to yourself once.