If-then plans

Peter Gollwitzer’s implementation intentions are among the most replicated tools in behavior change: “If situation X, then I will do Y.” They work because they pre-load the cue. When X happens, Y is already decided. You are not negotiating in the heat of the urge.

A goal like “I will use my phone less” is a wish. An if-then is a procedure: “If I pick up my phone in bed, then I put it face down and open Still.” “If I am about to disable focus mode, then I treat that as the urge and sit for ten minutes.”

Write them when you are calm. Keep them few and specific. Vague plans (“be more mindful”) do not fire when the thumb is already moving.

The bypass is itself a cue. You said the locks are not strong enough because you know how to turn them off. That moment of “I’ll just disable it” is the most important if-then you can write. Do not make the plan “try harder not to bypass.” Make the plan “bypassing is the signal to sit.”