Turn "I intend to do this" into "at this time, in this place, when this happens, I do that"

Top value
Evidence A
Saves time
Free
Takes minutes
No willpower

In plain words

Rewrite "I'm going to do this" as "At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, when I sit down at my desk, I write the introduction first." Pooling 94 tests, people who wrote their goals this way were clearly more likely to reach them, a medium-to-large effect. All you change is the wording of one sentence. It costs no money and takes little effort.

Cost: Free. Each task takes 1 to 2 minutes to write as a single "if... then..." sentence. For example: "At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, when I sit down at my desk, I write the introduction first."
What you get: Pooling 94 independent tests, people who first wrote their intention as an "if... then..." sentence reached their goals at a higher rate. In psychology this is called an implementation intention. The effect size was d = 0.65, which counts as medium to large. It helps at three points: getting started, holding firm when interrupted, and pulling out of something that is doomed to fail.
Notes: This only works for things you really want to do. If you don't want the goal itself, writing more sentences won't help. Also, these studies mostly recruited students and mostly looked at health habits, so the results may not carry over to the workplace as well.
Evidence grade: A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
Sources: 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. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1

Mentioned in

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 4, tip 1. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer