Starting
If-then plans
Deciding when and where in advance makes it far more likely you act.
An intention says what you want to do. An "if-then plan" adds the moment: "If it's 7 AM and I've poured coffee, then I open the document."
Across many studies, people who made plans like this reached their goals more often than people who only set the goal. The plan hands the decision to the situation, so you aren't deciding again when the moment comes.
Try this
Write today's promise with a when and a where in it — "after lunch, at my desk".
Make today's promiseSources
Introduced if-then planning and reviewed early evidence that it helps people act on their intentions.
Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503.
Pooled 94 independent tests and found a medium-to-large effect of if-then plans on reaching goals.
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.
A general finding about how people tend to work — not advice for your situation, and not a diagnosis.