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  • Behavioral Science & Policy

Beyond Good Intentions: Prompting People to Make Plans Improves Follow-through on Important Tasks

By: Todd Rogers, Katherine L Milkman, Leslie K. John and Michael I. Norton
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Abstract

Many intend to stay fit but fail to exercise or eat healthfully; students intend to earn good grades but study too little; citizens intend to vote but fail to turnout. How can policymakers help people follow through on intentions like these? Plan-making, a tool that leverages research on memory and cognition as well as mechanical benefits of scheduling, is one underappreciated solution. We review experiments showing that forming specific, concrete plans increases follow through across a range of domains—from vaccinations to voting. Plan-making prompts are simple, inexpensive, and powerful tools for changing behavior, which preserve the autonomy of decision makers.

Keywords

Behavior; Success; Planning

Citation

Rogers, Todd, Katherine L Milkman, Leslie K. John, and Michael I. Norton. "Beyond Good Intentions: Prompting People to Make Plans Improves Follow-through on Important Tasks." Behavioral Science & Policy 1, no. 2 (December 2015): 33–41.
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About The Authors

Leslie K. John

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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Michael I. Norton

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
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More from the Authors
  • Consumers Value Effort over Ease When Caring for Close Others By: Ximena Garcia-Rada, Mary Steffel, Elanor F. Williams and Michael I. Norton
  • When Less Is More: Consumers Prefer Brands that Donate More in Relative versus Absolute Terms By: Elizabeth A. Keenan, Anne V. Wilson and Leslie K. John
  • Sugar-sweetened Beverage Purchases and Intake at Event Arenas with and without a Portion Size Cap By: Sheri Volger, James Scott Parrott, Brian Elbel, Leslie K. John, Jason P. Block, Pamela Rothpletz-Puglia and Christina A. Roberto
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