Write down exit criteria before starting

Before you begin any project, write one simple sentence: “If a certain target isn’t met by a specific date, then we’ll stop.” Multiple studies combined show this approach really does help people pull back from efforts they’re unlikely to succeed at. What you save is all the time you’d otherwise keep pouring into that project.

No cost at all. It takes just 5 minutes at the start to write down: “If a certain target isn’t met by a specific date, then we’ll stop.” The hard part is actually honoring that promise when the day comes — it can feel embarrassing to call off a project in front of others.

When data from several studies on commitment strategies are pooled together, the result is clear: setting a clear “if… then…” condition beforehand also helps people disengage from failing courses of action. The time saved is exactly the amount you’d have kept investing otherwise.

Exit criteria should be written at the very start of a project, while emotions are still neutral. Deciding on them later gets skewed by all the resources already spent; at that point you should focus only on future investment and future returns, as explained in item 3. Also, “the ability to withdraw” is just one sub‑finding across those studies — no single study has calculated exactly how much time it can save.

Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1