--- ---  # Here’s the Most Powerful Technique for Following Through on Your Dreams by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 14, 2015 12:00 PM UTC  dreaming about..... dreaming about.....Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Mar 14, 2015 12:00 PM UTC “If-then” planning. Via [Nine Things Successful People Do Differently](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00607EX1E/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00607EX1E&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- And: Via [Nine Things Successful People Do Differently](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00607EX1E/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00607EX1E&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- And: Via [Nine Things Successful People Do Differently](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00607EX1E/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00607EX1E&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/07/whats-the-most-powerful-technique-for-followi/)**_._** **Join over 161,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** Related posts: [How To Make Your Life Better By Sending Five Simple Emails](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/) [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) Here’s the Most Powerful Technique for Following Through on Your Dreams ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3738866/technique-follow-through-dream/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3738866/technique-follow-through-dream/"},"headline":"Here’s the Most Powerful Technique for Following Through on Your Dreams","datePublished":"2015-03-14T12:00:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:15:59.098Z","description":"Deciding in advance when and where you will take specific actions to reach your goal can double or triple your chances for success","url":"https://time.com/3738866/technique-follow-through-dream/","keywords":["Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d03f5c9a6e708c0/698782f60b72e323076de181/479166083-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d03f5c9a6e708c0/698782f60b72e323076de181/479166083-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"boy-dream-astronaut","caption":"boy-dream-astronaut","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3738866/technique-follow-through-dream/","name":"Here’s the Most Powerful Technique for Following Through on Your Dreams"}}]}] ```