Plan for failure, not just success
September 29, 2026 · 25 min read
Michael Phelps's obstacle planning via Balcetis, Huberman's advice to foreshadow failure throughout a project and Maya Shankar's goal framing all show that anticipating what could go wrong sustains motivation better than positive fantasy alone. It turns setbacks into expected steps rather than reasons to quit.
The rules, numbers and steps worth keeping in front of you.
- Core idea: plan for obstacles and setbacks, not only for success.
- Emily Balcetis: vividly imagining success can relax the body and reduce readiness to act.
- Goal setting has three parts: define it, make it concrete, list the obstacles.
- For each obstacle, write backup plans in advance, while you are calm.
- In a crisis you think poorly, so have the next step ready.
- Michael Phelps won with flooded goggles because he had rehearsed that failure.
- Andrew Huberman: picture success at the start; picture failure to keep going.
- Make the imagined failure specific, such as a rainy morning.
- Imagining failure is different from calling yourself a failure; reward progress weekly.
- Low-motivation days: picture failing; motivated days: picture succeeding.
- Maya Shankar: build in a few free days a month so one miss is planned.
- Expect the mid-goal slump and shorten goals to shorten the middle.
- Word the goal as something to move toward, not something to avoid.
- Anxiety, low mood or health conditions: get professional advice before using fear as fuel.
This is the short form. The full insight has every expert's reasoning, their own words and the sources.