WOOP
Turn a desired outcome into an obstacle-tested action plan
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 99%
WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan. It preserves the motivational value of imagining a desired result while preventing the fantasy from becoming a substitute for effort. First, define what you want and briefly picture the outcome. Then deliberately switch attention to the main obstacle—such as travel, a tempting alternative, missing resources, or a performance failure. Finally, decide what you will do when that obstacle appears and rehearse the response. The key mechanism is contrast: a rewarding image of success is followed by the friction that stands between the current state and that outcome. The plan converts imagination into preparedness. Rather than mentally consuming the reward and stopping, you use visualization to make a difficult response familiar before it is needed.
Origin
Santos attributed WOOP to psychologist Gabriele Oettingen and illustrated it with weight loss, studying, and Michael Phelps rehearsing a goggles failure.
Core principles
- 01Positive fantasy alone can reduce effort
- 02Obstacles belong inside the planning process
- 03Mental rehearsal should prepare action, not simulate completion
- 04An if-obstacle-then-response plan reduces hesitation
How to run it
- 1
Wish
Choose one important, feasible goal and state it clearly. Keep the scope narrow enough to act on.
Pro tip Use a goal you can influence directly.
Watch out A wish with no controllable behaviour cannot become a useful plan.
- 2
Outcome
Picture the best meaningful result of achieving the wish. Keep this phase brief so the imagined reward does not become the endpoint.
Watch out Stopping at the outcome is the manifestation trap WOOP is designed to avoid.
- 3
Obstacle
Identify the most important internal or external barrier likely to block progress. Imagine the obstacle occurring in a realistic context.
Pro tip Look for recurring friction, not a dramatic but unlikely event.
Watch out Listing every possible problem can become another form of avoidance.
- 4
Plan
Decide exactly how you will respond when the obstacle occurs, then mentally rehearse that response. Make the action specific enough to execute under pressure.
Pro tip Frame it as: when this obstacle appears, I will take this action.
Watch out A vague intention such as “try harder” is not a plan.
In the wild
Michael Phelps visualized what he would do if his goggles failed during a race. His response was to count strokes to the wall. When his goggles actually filled during a Beijing gold-medal race, he already knew how to continue without seeing clearly.
→ Obstacle rehearsal converted an unexpected failure into an executable response.
A traveller wishes to lose weight and pictures the benefit, then identifies travel food as the recurring obstacle. They plan to pack healthy food before each trip rather than relying on willpower at the airport.
→ The desired result becomes a response tied to a predictable obstacle.
Common mistakes
Stopping after the fantasy
Imagining the reward can create a sense of having already received it, reducing the effort that follows.
Naming an obstacle without a response
Awareness alone does not create preparedness. The obstacle must be paired with a concrete action.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who can vividly imagine success but repeatedly fail to translate that motivation into action.
Not ideal for
Goals that are impossible, outside the person's control, or too vague to reveal a concrete obstacle.
From the transcript
“She has this acronym she uses whoop w which is like healthy manifesting and that stands for wish outcome obstacle plan.”
“So what you're using your imagination to do is to plan out what you would do like when the time get like if the obstacle…”
“So when you imagine the plan to overcome the obstacles, it gets easier.”
From the episode
Episode 551: Dr. Laurie Santos: How Modern Life Hijacks Your Happiness And Why Going Analog Fixes It
Dr. Laurie Santos