Make a study plan you will keep
Decide when, where and what, in one "if–then" sentence.
PsychologyHow to studyAbout 4 min: 2 reading, 2 practiceUpdated
Educational, not medical or mental-health advice.
- Write an if–then study plan
- Say why specific plans are kept more often
- Start small enough to keep going
How to study: lesson 5 of 5
- How to study
- Test yourself instead of rereading 3 min
- Space it out 3 min
- Mix your practice 3 min
- Focus in short sessions 3 min
- Make a study plan you will keep 4 min
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Pairs with Gollwitzer (1999), "Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans"; Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006)
What it is
A good plan answers three questions for each session: when, where and what. Psychologist Peter Gollwitzer called plans like this implementation intentions, and wrote them as "if–then" sentences:
If it is 7 p.m. on a weekday, then I sit at the kitchen table and do one Studyfern lesson and its quiz.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
Which plan says when, where and what?
- No time, place or task
Show answer
"If it's 7 p.m., I do one lesson at my desk.". It names a time, a place and a task.
Why it matters
Wanting to study is not the same as studying. Across many studies, people who added a specific "if–then" plan to a goal followed through more often than people who only set the goal (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006, reviewed 94 tests of the idea). The plan takes away the daily decision of "when shall I start?"
Worked example
Turning a vague goal into a plan:
| Vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| "Study Japanese more." | "If it is 7:30 a.m., then on the bus I do the flashcards from yesterday's lesson." |
| "Revise finance." | "If it is Saturday at 10 a.m., then at the library I do the timed practice and reread my misses." |
| "Stop scrolling." | "If I reach for my phone while studying, then I put it in my bag and finish the paragraph first." |
Add the methods from this path: test yourself, space the reviews, mix your practice, and work in short blocks with breaks. The exam-prep pages turn these into ready 2-week and 4-week plans.
Common mistake
Planning too much. A plan for three hours a day that lasts one week likely does less than twenty minutes a day that lasts three months. Start small enough that you will keep it, and add more once it is a habit.
Key terms
- implementation intention
- an if–then plan: "If [situation], then I will [action]"
- habit
- a behaviour that starts automatically from a cue
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 2 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| implementation intention | an if–then plan: "If [situation], then I will [action]" |
| habit | a behaviour that starts automatically from a cue |
Practice
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
Which is an implementation intention?
- A goal, with no when, where or what
- A belief, not a plan
Show answer
"If it is 8 p.m., then I do one lesson at my desk.". It names when, where and what, as an if–then.
What is the safer way to start a new study habit?
- Big plans are easy to drop
Show answer
A small daily plan you can keep. A plan you keep beats a bigger plan you drop.
Sort it
Which study method is this?
You close the book and write down the three main points from memory.
Recalling from memory is retrieval practice.Show answer
Retrieval practice. Recalling from memory is retrieval practice.
You review your Japanese flashcards on Monday, Wednesday and the next Monday.
Reviews spread over days with gaps are spacing.Show answer
Spacing. Reviews spread over days with gaps are spacing.
Your maths practice set mixes fractions, percentages and ratios in random order.
Mixed problem types in random order is interleaving.Show answer
Interleaving. Mixed problem types in random order is interleaving.
"If it is 8 a.m. on the bus, then I do ten flashcards."
A when-and-what plan is an implementation intention.Show answer
If–then plan. A when-and-what plan is an implementation intention.
You take the timed practice with questions shuffled from every lesson.
Shuffling questions from different topics mixes them.Show answer
Interleaving. Shuffling questions from different topics mixes them.
Before rereading a chapter, you answer its end-of-chapter questions.
Answering first, from memory, is retrieval practice.Show answer
Retrieval practice. Answering first, from memory, is retrieval practice.
In short
- A good plan says when, where and what.
- If–then plans are kept more often than goals alone (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006).
- Start small enough to keep, then grow.
- Combine the path: test yourself, space, mix, focus.
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
What three things should a study plan say?
Show answer
When, where and what.
Write your own "if–then" plan for one session this week.
Show answer
Any plan in the form "If [time/place], then I [specific task]", for example "If it is Sunday at 4 p.m., then I do the next lesson at my desk."
Why does an if–then plan help?
Show answer
It removes the daily decision about when to start, so you are more likely to follow through.
Further reading
- Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503.
- 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.
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