Until now, everything has happened on paper. This is the step where you put your plan into action and find out what happens.

That is the purpose of this stage. No matter how carefully you created it, the plan is still an informed prediction until you test it.

Try to carry out the plan as you wrote it. A few simple steps can make this easier.

First, imagine yourself completing the plan from beginning to end. Make sure the written steps are detailed enough to work as instructions. If the plan involves a conversation you are worried about, practise saying the words aloud to someone you trust before having the actual conversation.

Then observe what happens and write down the result. Focus on what actually happened, not only on how the experience felt overall.

Next, compare the outcome with the prediction you made in the previous lesson.

• How satisfactory was the result?
• How well did the plan help you reach your goal?
• How satisfied were you with the effects on you?
• How closely did those effects match what you predicted?
• What effect did the plan have on other people?
• How closely did that match your prediction?

Finally, ask yourself: “How closely does what I expected match what actually happened?”

Sometimes the prediction and the outcome match, and the problem is solved. When that happens, take a moment to recognise the result instead of immediately moving on to the next problem.

Often, however, the result will be different from what you expected.

This is the central idea of the lesson: a plan that did not work gives you information about the plan, not a verdict on you.

This is more than encouragement. It is part of how the method works.

Lesson 6 described a negative problem orientation: the belief that a problem is a threat and that you are not capable of handling it. When an attempt fails, that belief can return strongly and offer a simple conclusion: I couldn’t do it.

A more accurate conclusion is narrower. You chose one option based on four predictions, and it produced a different result from the one you expected. That tells you something about the option, not about your ability or worth.

The advice at this stage is intentional: recognise the value of the attempt, not only the outcome. As the authors explain, “by trying to put your problem-solving skills to work and monitoring the results, you will always be improving your skills, regardless of the outcome.”

What should you do if the plan did not work? You can return to the beginning of ADAPT and try again.

In practice, it is often more useful to go back one step. The point at which the process broke down can show you where to return.

• The plan was never carried out. Return to Predict. You may have answered Can I realistically carry it out? too optimistically. This is useful information, not a failure of willpower.
• You carried out the plan, but nothing changed. Return to Alternatives. Your list may have been too narrow, or the options may all have been different versions of the same strategy.
• The plan worked, but the original problem remains. Return to Define. You may have solved something related to the problem without addressing the problem itself. This can happen when the initial definition is too vague.
• You could not get yourself to begin. Return to Attitude in Lesson 6. This is not a criticism. Attitude is the step that explores what may be preventing you from starting.

One round of ADAPT will rarely resolve a large or complex situation, and it is not expected to.

What it gives you is one problem with a clear written history: what the problem was, which options you considered, what you chose, what you expected, and what actually happened.

The summary below uses the information from your worksheets, not a score. After you have completed the process a few times, it can help you identify the step at which you tend to stop. This may be the most useful insight the unit can give you.

Unit 3 focuses on the moments when you cannot begin the problem-solving process at all.