FILE: ARCH-LIB-006 / STATUS: PUBLISHED
THE RESEARCH LIBRARY / THE STACKS
An if-then plan took away the old habit's head start
Read what the plan changed and what it did not. Then write one if-then line for your own pattern.
An if-then plan removed the old habit's head start. The new option was not yet automatic.
THE SOURCE
Adriaanse, Gollwitzer, de Ridder, de Wit and Kroese (2011). Breaking Habits With Implementation Intentions: A Test of Underlying Processes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
We read the abstract. Open the paper
HOW STRONG THE EVIDENCE IS
MODERATE. Three lab experiments that measured which option came to mind first. They did not follow people for long.
“formulating counterhabitual implementation intentions increases individuals' flexibility to choose which behavior to perform in the critical situation”
An old habit usually wins the race. This paper looked at what an if-then plan does to that race.
The Research Library reads one paper at a time and says what it found in plain words. For this note we read the abstract, not the full paper.
What the research found
An if-then plan names a moment and an action. If this happens, then I will do that instead of the usual thing.
Without a plan, the habit came to mind faster than the other option. With a plan, that head start was gone.
But the new option did not become automatic right away. The plan gave people more room to choose.
The paper adds one more point. People acted against the habit only as far as they really wanted the other goal.
How strong the evidence is
There were three experiments, which is a good sign. They measured what came to mind in a lab, not what people did for weeks.
The abstract does not give the number of people, so we do not print one.
What it means for catching a pattern
The Apology Loop is the habit of saying sorry before you have thought about it. Your plan might read: if I start typing sorry, I delete it and write thanks.
This is close to Intercept, the second move: interrupt the usual response and choose a different action before the old pattern completes.
The finding also explains why one plan is not the end. The new action still has to be repeated before it comes easily.
That is the third move, Rewrite: repeat the different action until it becomes easier to reach when the signal returns.
What it does not show
This study did not test The Archivist Method. It tested if-then plans on simple habits in a lab.
It does not show that a plan alone ends a pattern. It showed a plan can clear the way for a choice.
The free Crash Course, short lessons on your pattern, starts by naming it.
HOW TO CITE THIS PAGE
The Archivist Method (2026). An if-then plan took away the old habit's head start. The Research Library. https://thearchivistmethod.com/research/if-then-plans-and-old-habits