Implementation intention

Implementation intention is the scientific concept behind if-then planning. The research of psychologist Peter Gollwitzer showed that people who bind their intention to a concrete condition markedly increase their rate of reaching their goals. When the brain has answered in advance the questions of "when, where, and how," the behavior becomes almost automatic. This is the difference between a vague intention of "I will work more" and a plan tied to a time and a place. An intention designed in advance removes the unreliability of the on-the-spot decision.