Struggling to Motivate? Try WOOP

We are often told that imagining success is an effective way to become successful. Stand in front of the bathroom mirror and say “I am a strong, confident woman!” enough times, and that you shall become.

Research shows that people who spend a lot of time imagining success are actually less likely to achieve the job / romance / health / New Year’s resolution they hold in their mind’s eye.

This is because there is something missing.

You can make a wish come true by wanting it to come true - with a PLAN!

In her book, Rethinking Positive Thinking, Gabriele Oettingen describes how the process of envisioning our goals uses up energy we might otherwise spend on practical steps we need to take to achieve them. To get to where we want to be, we actually need to decide what we want, pay attention to what is stopping us, and make a simple plan.

That’s where WOOP comes in. By the way, I’m not an affiliate for WOOP. I’m just a fan of the process. I use it myself and with clients - individuals and teams.

How does WOOP work?

WOOP is an acronym that stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan:

Wish

Identify something you would like to achieve. It may be a long term plan like getting enough exercise, or something short term like cleaning the bathroom before your mom comes to visit. It has to be important to you, challenging, but achievable. (3 to 6 words)

Outcome

Sit by yourself, without distractions, and ponder how you will feel when you have achieved the wish. Write down a few words to describe this feeling. Try to feel it viscerally - in your body. What would it be like? How would you feel? (3 to 6 words)

Obstacle

Now, work out what is stopping you. The first thing we think isn’t always the complete story. For example, you might be scrolling TikTok instead of cleaning the bathroom, but TikTok isn’t stopping you. You are stopping you. Write down or remember a few words to describe why you can’t put down the phone and do the chore. For example, you might feel overwhelmed by the size of the task. (3 to 6 words)

Plan

The plan is what you will do/think to overcome the obstacle. If your obstacle is scrolling TikTok to avoid completion anxiety, remind yourself that half a chore is better than none of a chore, and go and wipe the sink. You can put the obstacle and plan into a phrase - Using an IF and THEN statement.

“IF overwhelmed, THEN I complete a smaller task.”  (3 to 6 words)

The WOOP process is scientifically based proven to work, and far better explained on the WOOP website, which has an accompanying mobile app (if paper and pen is not your thing).

Give it a try!

Now, if you don’t mind, I need to go and clean the sink.