Planning and MCII

Detailed planning helps humans follow steps and makes them more likely to complete a process and achieve a goal. The more concrete a plan, the better. One specific type of planning is called mental contrasting implementation intentions (MCII), which is when in addition to planning steps towards a goal the individual plans what hurdles they could face and pre-plans ways to overcome them.

Applications

• Consider ways you can help your clients plan. Instead of telling them their next steps and having them agree to do them, consider having them select a specific day and time to do it. Make the plan more concrete by having them put it on their calendar and plan additional details.

• Consider providing prompts so your client can think about what could go wrong and plan out what they could do in those cases. “If X happens, then I will do Y” statements reduce feeling overwhelmed when things go wrong, and can mean people are less likely to get derailed from their plan.