WHAT
WOOP (which stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan) is an evidence-based motivational tool that can help you be more successful at achieving your short-term goals.
WHY
When we succeed at our goals, it’s usually because we have both the will-power and way-power to achieve them. WOOP is designed to help you quickly figure out what you really want to do, why it’s important, and how to overcome the internal obstacles that might get in the way. Research has shown that using WOOP reduces stress and increases engagement at work, enables problem solving, and improves time management. It’s also helped people to lose weight, drink less, and sustain healthy relationships.
HOW
WOOP can be used at any time for almost any goal but it’s important to stick to the process: WOOP’s effectiveness has everything to do with the specific sequence, language, imagery and state of mind it creates.
What’s your Wish? What goal do you wish to achieve?
It should be important to you and challenging, but also something you could reasonably achieve in the short-term (4-weeks or less, maybe even just today).
Make it concrete - how will you know when your goal has been achieved?
What’s the best possible Outcome of achieving this wish?
Take a moment to vividly imagine and feel what it will be like when this wish has been accomplished.
How fulfilling will it be? How will you feel? What will be the positive impact on others and how will they feel?
What is an Obstacle within you that might get in the way?
The key here is to figure out how you might be standing in your own way.
This could be an emotion (e.g., I’ll feel bored or stuck), or a belief (e.g., I don’t think I can do this, even though my better self knows I can), or a bad habit (e.g., I spend too much time procrastinating).
Now, what is your Plan to overcome that obstacle within you?
When you start to notice that you are thinking, feeling or doing the thing that gets in your way, what will you do instead?
Create a “When - Then” plan: “When… (obstacle), then I will … (action or thought).”
For example, “When I feel anxious about the task, then I will say out loud ‘I am safe, healthy and capable, I know I can do this’ and then get to work as best I can.”
WOOP is most effective when you make it a habit. Try to WOOP every day.
Resources
WOOP my life (step-by-step guide)
WOOP for the classroom (very transferable to the workplace)
Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation by Gabriele Oettingen
Authors
Eudaimonic by Design is a global network of consultants, facilitators and systems thinkers who share a passion for the science of well-being and believe that organizations must be designed to enable it. We harness the best of scholarly thought and years of practical experience to help people be truly engaged, act ethically and pursue excellence.
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