Turn intentions into action with if-then planning
Specifying exactly when, where, and how a behaviour will happen — not just that it will — more than doubles the likelihood of follow-through.
Why this matters
Most clients leave a session with good intentions: "I'll exercise more", "I'll eat better", "I'll get to bed earlier." The problem is that vague intentions rely entirely on motivation — which fluctuates. Research by psychologist Peter Gollwitzer found that forming a goal intention ("I intend to do X") leads to follow-through rates of around 30–40%. Adding an implementation intention — "When [situation], I will [behaviour]" — raises this to 60–90% across dozens of studies.
The mechanism is simple: by pre-deciding the when, where, and how, the client creates a mental link between a situational cue and the behaviour. When that cue appears, the action can fire automatically, without requiring a fresh decision or a spike of motivation to remember it.
In practice
"I'll try to eat more protein at breakfast" — vague, no trigger, forgotten within a week. Coach tries again: "When you sit down with your morning coffee on weekdays, what's one thing you could add that has protein in it?" Client: "I could boil eggs — I already do it on weekends." New intention: "When I sit down for my morning coffee on weekdays, I'll boil two eggs while it brews." One month later: consistent. The when and where created the hook that willpower never could.
Try it today
Review your last three client goal-setting conversations. For any goal that doesn't have a specific when, where, and how, go back and add one. Ask: "When exactly will you do this? Where will you be? What will be the trigger?"
Make it a habit
Make implementation intention planning a standard close to every goal-setting conversation. Before moving on, ask: "What's the specific situation that will be your cue for this?" Don't accept "I'll try to remember" as a plan.
Ready to put this into practice?
Sticky Coach helps you track client habits and conversations — so nothing falls through the cracks.
More tips
Tie new habits to existing ones (habit stacking)
Linking a new behaviour to an existing routine dramatically increases follow-through by using established neural pathways as an anchor.
Read tip →Make the target behaviour ridiculously small to start
Shrinking a new behaviour to its smallest possible form lowers the motivation threshold, making the first repetition almost effortless.
Read tip →Use open questions to unlock client insight
Replacing closed yes/no questions with open questions invites clients to explore their own thinking, uncovering goals, barriers, and readiness for change.
Read tip →