WOOP: a goal-setting method that plans for the obstacle

Most goal advice says to picture yourself succeeding. It feels good, and for many people it quietly backfires. The more vividly you enjoy the finished result, the less your mind may feel the need to work for it.

WOOP is a short method that keeps the motivating picture and adds the part that makes a difference: a realistic look at what will get in the way.

Where it comes from

WOOP was developed by the psychologist Gabriele Oettingen, based on decades of research on a technique called mental contrasting, combined with implementation intentions from Peter Gollwitzer's work. In studies, people who contrasted a desired future with the obstacle, and made a specific if-then plan, were more likely to follow through than people who only visualised success.

The research is on a range of everyday goals, from exercise to studying to managing time. As with anything in behavioural science, effects vary, and it is a tool, not a guarantee.

The four steps

You can do all four in five to ten minutes.

W: Wish

What do you want? Choose something meaningful that is challenging but possible, and that you can influence in the next days or weeks. "Run a 5K without stopping" is better than "get fit".

O: Outcome

Picture the best result of fulfilling the wish. How does it feel? What is the best thing about it? Spend a minute really imagining it. Name the feeling.

O: Obstacle

Now the key step. What inside you is likely to stand in the way? Look for an inner obstacle: a habit, an emotion, a thought. Not "my boss" or "the weather". For example: "I am too tired after work," "I scroll instead of starting," "I give in when someone offers cake."

Be honest and specific. This is the step most people want to skip, and it is the one that does the most.

P: Plan

Create an if-then plan for the obstacle:

If [the obstacle happens], then I will [a specific action].

Example: "If I feel too tired after work, then I will put on my shoes and walk for ten minutes first." The action should be small and clearly within your control.

A full example

• Wish: Finish writing the first draft of my report by Friday.
• Outcome: I feel relieved, and I get the weekend free.
• Obstacle: I check email as soon as I sit down, and then lose the morning.
• Plan: If I sit down at my desk, then I will close my email and write for 25 minutes before opening it.

Making it work

• Write it down. A plan on paper is far harder to ignore.
• Pick one goal at a time, or at most two.
• Check in weekly. Look at the plan during your weekly review and update it.
• Break it down. If the wish is large, make the plan about the next small step.
• Revise the obstacle. After a week you will often discover a different one. That is progress, not failure.

When not to use it

WOOP is for goals you want and have some control over. If the wish is not realistic right now, the process helps you see that too, and lets you let it go or reshape it, which is also valuable.

You can run through the whole thing, with milestones and progress tracking, in the free Goal Planner.