Enrichment · Wellbeing

Plan for the setback
before it happens.

Most goals do not fail on the first day; they fail on the first bad day. For each goal, write why it matters, a first step small enough to do this week, the obstacle most likely to get in your way and an if-then plan for it. Add who can back you up and a check-in date. The planner keeps your goals in one place and tells you when a plan needs shoring up.

Add a goalWhat you get

Goals

The worked example is made up: four goals from one fall for a high school sophomore. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A plan per goal: the goal and why it matters, a first small step, the likely obstacle, an if-then plan for it, who can back you up, a check-in date, confidence in the first step (1 to 5) and progress. Counts goals by progress, averages confidence and shows the next check-in and any that have passed; flags low confidence, an obstacle plan with no “then” and a passed check-in.
Who it is for
Students in grades 6 to 12 and college; advisory teachers and families helping a student plan.
Format
Browser planner with a saved plan per goal. Prints one plan, every plan in a table or a blank page; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Write the goal, and one sentence on why it matters to you.
  2. Choose a first step you could do this week, and rate how sure you are.
  3. Name the obstacle most likely to get in the way, honestly.
  4. Write the if-then plan: if that happens, then I will do one specific thing.
  5. Set a check-in date, and update progress when it comes.

Add a goal

Why if-then plans help

Turn a wish into a plan that bendsPartExampleWishMake one new friend in the robotics clubBest outcomeSomeone to sit with at meetings and text about buildsObstacle, inside meI freeze up around new peopleIf-then planIf I freeze, then I will ask one question about their partFirst stepAsk someone to pair up on the drivetrain on TuesdayTurn a wish into a plan that bendsWishExample: Make one new friend in the robotics clubBest outcomeExample: Someone to sit with at meetings and text about buildsObstacle, inside meExample: I freeze up around new peopleIf-then planExample: If I freeze, then I will ask one question about their partFirst stepExample: Ask someone to pair up on the drivetrain on Tuesday
Naming the obstacle ahead of time is what makes a plan resilient: when the setback comes, the response is already decided.

Implementation intentions

Psychologist Peter Gollwitzer found that people who decide in advance exactly what they will do when a situation arises (“if X, then I will Y”) follow through more often than people who only set the goal. A review of 94 studies found a medium to large effect.

Picture the obstacle

Gabriele Oettingen’s research on mental contrasting found that imagining the best outcome and then the main obstacle inside yourself works better than positive thinking alone. In one study, high school students who used it with if-then plans completed more practice questions for an exam.

Hard goals, hard weeks

Setbacks are part of any goal worth having. If a goal starts to feel like it is crushing you, scale it down, ask your backup person for help, or talk with a parent, a teacher or your school counselor.

Sources

  1. Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493 to 503.
  2. Gollwitzer, P. M., and Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69 to 119.
  3. Duckworth, A. L., et al. (2011). Self-regulation strategies improve self-discipline in adolescents: benefits of mental contrasting and implementation intentions. Educational Psychology, 31(1), 17 to 26.
  4. Locke, E. A., and Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: a 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705 to 717.
  5. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org): call or text 988, chat online, 24 hours a day.

The worked example is made up. This planner is for personal goals; it is not counseling. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.