If-Then Beats Willpower

In this Change Starts Here research conversation, Kim Yaris and Dr. Eve Miller pick up where their last episode on hope left off: you've named the goal and the obstacle in your way, so what do you actually do when that obstacle shows up? They dig into why following through has less to do with willpower than most of us were taught, starting with a study on distractible kindergartners and a confession from Kim about an exercise routine she abandoned on day ten.

From there, Kim and Eve walk through decades of research on implementation intentions, the psychologist Peter Gollwitzer's work showing that a simple “if this happens, then I'll do that” plan outperforms a plan with no trigger attached to it by a wide margin. They close with a practical way for school leaders, teachers, and anyone managing a team to write a plan that actually survives a busy day.

Download the Handout:

Handout: https://resources.franklincovey.com/c/csh-s7e8-handout?x=BaUe_e

Hosts: 

Kim Yaris, M.Ed. (Associate Director of Research with FranklinCovey Education)

Dr. Eve Miller (Director of Research with FranklinCovey Education)

Timestamps: 

00:00 Intro

00:14 The cartoon distraction study

02:04 Welcome to Change Starts Here Research Conversations

03:47 Kim's confession: the exercise plan that didn't stick

04:33 It's not about self-discipline

05:22 The principal who meant to get into classrooms

06:56 Getting practical with if-then plans

08:09 The winter break essay study

10:00 Eve's own dissertation story

11:06 642 studies and the real effect size

12:53 Building the principal's if-then plan

14:42 Writing your own if-then plan

16:18 Using this with teachers and with your team

18:24 This week's assignment and closing thoughts