Action
Set a specific goal
Choose a concrete goal or target to reach.

Studies (14)
Paper
Group lessons on how to study and plan helped girls put things off lessTestedHelpedAfter ten lessons on studying and planning, girls put off schoolwork less than the waiting group, even a month later.
Small randomised trial of 30 Iranian high-school girls who overuse social media · vs girls still waiting for the lessons · they rated themselves
Paper
Classes on how to study went with less putting off schoolworkTestedHelpedStudents who had eight classes on goals and ways to study put off schoolwork less than students with no classes.
Small randomised trial of 40 first-year medical students in Iran · vs students who got no classes · they rated themselves · ⚠ results look too good to be true
Paper
A 12-week course on planning your own learning went with less putting offTestedHelpedStudents in weekly goal and plan sessions put things off less than the usual class, even four weeks later.
Small randomised trial of 90 first-year university students in China · vs a class with their usual teaching · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole groups were assigned, not people; summary claims more than the results show
Paper
A one-tap goal question didn't make people listen to meditation on more daysTestedNo differencePeople asked to pick a goal for the week listened on no more days than people asked about the teacher.
Large trial of 18,559 Spotify users who listened to meditation · vs a pop-up question about the teacher · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists; summary claims more than the results show
Paper
Weekly point goals and a leaderboard got drivers to hold their phones lessTestedHelpedWith weekly point goals and a leaderboard, drivers held their phones a fifth less than with risk lessons alone.
Large randomised trial of 1,653 US drivers who often held phones while driving · vs drivers who only got lessons on the risks · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ numbers unreliable
Paper
Typing blood pressure into a text got it sent more often than an appUsedNo comparisonDaily steps roughly doubled during the programme and stayed up for 12 weeks, with no other group to compare.
Small randomised trial of 47 adults with kidney disease and high blood pressure · no comparison group · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ no untreated control group; pre-post step counts only
Paper
Resilience lessons for young pupils: results on putting things off conflictTestedMixedPupils in group lessons on breaking work into steps and goal promises put things off less, but the numbers conflict.
Randomised trial of 100 fourth-grade pupils in Egypt · vs pupils who got no lessons · they rated themselves · ⚠ numbers unreliable; summary claims more than the results show
Paper
Lessons on goals, planning and self-tracking helped schoolgirls put off schoolwork lessTestedHelpedGirls who had eight lessons on goals, plans, tracking and rewards put off schoolwork less than usual teaching.
Small randomised trial of 77 schoolgirls in Tabriz, Iran · vs a class that kept its usual teaching · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole groups were assigned, not people; results look too good to be true
Paper
Health-worker visits and daily texts didn't help teens take their medicine moreTestedNo differenceHealth-worker visits on goals and cues plus daily texts didn't help teens take their medicine more than usual care.
Small randomised trial of 50 teens with sickle cell disease and their parents · vs teens who got their usual care · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ only a short summary available
Paper
Girls trained against feeling helpless said they put off schoolwork less, but started higherTestedHelpedGirls trained on thoughts, goals and stress put off schoolwork less than the waiting group, but started far higher.
Small randomised trial of 30 teenage girls who put off schoolwork · vs girls who were still waiting · they rated themselves · ⚠ numbers unreliable; groups differed at the start; summary claims more than the results show
Paper
A course that included goal setting showed a gap too large to trustTestedHelpedStudents whose course included goal setting and time planning said they put things off far less than a regular class.
Small trial, groups not picked at random of 71 first-year education students in Egypt · vs a class taught the usual way · they rated themselves · ⚠ results look too good to be true; same researcher delivered and measured
Paper
Sleep coaching by phone did not clearly steady bed and wake timesTestedNo differenceWeekly sleep lessons, coach-set sleep goals and tracker feedback did not steady bed and wake times more than health emails.
Very small randomised trial of 14 adults with type 1 diabetes and poor sleep · vs weekly health emails and short calls without sleep advice · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ summary claims more than the results show; groups weren't properly compared
Paper
Home sessions made blood sugar checks feel a bit more automatic, but not pillsTestedMixedHome talks on goals, habits and routines made blood sugar checks feel a bit more automatic, but not pills.
Small randomised trial of 81 young adults with poorly controlled diabetes · vs a home visit, leaflets and phone calls · they rated themselves
Paper
Group lessons on positive thinking and goals helped teenage girls put off schoolwork lessTestedHelpedGirls who had group lessons on good thoughts and goals put off schoolwork less than the waiting group.
Small randomised trial of 30 teenage girls at high school in Iran · vs girls still waiting for the lessons · they rated themselves · ⚠ numbers unreliable; many people dropped out
Often used with it




Action5
Challenge unhelpful thoughtsCognitive restructuring of beliefs such as perfectionism or catastrophising.


Action5
Learn better study strategiesLearn techniques for rehearsing, organising and checking your understanding of study material.