{
  "schema": "vedokrok.public-item.v1",
  "release_id": "MHC-RPUB-20260920-75ad787a",
  "url": "/knowledge/do-not-call-a-calendar-appointment-an-if-then-plan-when-the-action-still-needs-preparation",
  "id": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0942",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "title": "Do not call a calendar appointment an if-then plan when the action still needs preparation",
  "summary": "'Thursday at six' is a schedule; it is not automatically a cue-response mechanism.",
  "kind": "principle",
  "body": "The 2026 review explicitly distinguishes strict if-then plans from broader when/where/how scheduling. Use calendars for reserving time. Use if-then plans when you want a recurring cue to trigger a ready action. Combining them is fine, but naming the mechanism correctly helps you fix the right failure.",
  "limits": [
    "Both methods can be useful; the distinction is mechanistic, not a ranking."
  ],
  "topics": [
    "union-execution-rhythm"
  ],
  "intents": [],
  "source_ids": [
    "RS-767B2D886087DA3B"
  ],
  "evidence": [
    {
      "claim": "The 2026 if-then review separates strict cue-response plans from generic time/place action planning.",
      "source_id": "RS-767B2D886087DA3B",
      "role": "supports",
      "note": "Both methods can be useful; the distinction is mechanistic, not a ranking.",
      "locator": "See source record"
    }
  ],
  "use_when": [
    "A scheduled task is labeled an implementation intention even though the trigger does not make the action executable."
  ],
  "avoid_when": [
    "Both methods can be useful; the distinction is mechanistic, not a ranking."
  ],
  "example": "'Thursday 18:00 gym' is scheduling; 'if I close the laptop at 17:45, then I put on the prepared gym clothes' is a cue-action plan.",
  "check": "Scheduling and cue-response design are used for different problems rather than conflated.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "RS-767B2D886087DA3B",
      "title": "A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of if-then plans – in a strict sense – to facilitate fruit and vegetable consumption in adults",
      "url": "https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12966-026-01915-y"
    }
  ],
  "relations": [],
  "collections": [
    {
      "id": "RC-86F22D8037A34580",
      "title": "Turn goals into work that finishes and stays finished after hours",
      "url": "/collections/turn-goals-into-work-that-finishes-and-stays-finished-after-hours"
    }
  ]
}