[meryn]

"Attendees [...] learned a technique called "pre-hindsight" that uses emotional cues to create more foolproof plans. It works like this: Imagine that six months have passed, and you haven't achieved the body of your dreams. How surprised are you? The less surprised you are, the less likely it is you will succeed at your goal. Then think in detail about each reason you wouldn't be surprised if June comes and the number on the scale hadn't budged. Each reason—whether "I don't have time" or "I don't like running in the mornings"—is a possible cause of failure. Using the surprise level to anticipate these is crucial to creating a plan to address each weak point."

I like this technique a lot. Thinking about how surprised you'd be if you do not achieve your objective.

I think the technique has similarities with the exercise that Steven Covey writes about in "The Seven Habits" where you must think about what you want other people to say about you at your funeral. It engages you in a special kind of way, perhaps helping you to uncover knowledge that you did not know you held.