A decided goal often dies in the gap between intention and action. WOOP closes it with two evidence-backed moves: contrast the desired outcome against the obstacle in your way, then pre-bind an if-then response. Wish (specific, challenging, feasible), Outcome (vividly imagine the best result), Obstacle (the main internal obstacle in yourself), Plan (if [obstacle or its cue], then [action]). The output is a WOOP card. Critical: imagining the outcome without contrasting the obstacle measurably reduces follow-through - the obstacle and the if-then plan are mandatory, not decoration.
When to Use
- A goal is already chosen and feasible, but follow-through keeps failing.
- Closing a personal or single-owner intention-action gap.
- Turning a commitment into something that survives the moment of temptation or friction.
When NOT to Use
- To decide what to pursue (use a decision skill); WOOP commits to an already-chosen wish.
- For multi-person project planning (it is about one actor's follow-through).
- When the obstacle is an external blocker outside your control (WOOP works on internal obstacles).
- As motivational positive-outcome talk: outcome-only, without the obstacle, backfires.
Instructions
When asked to run WOOP, follow these steps:
- Wish. State the goal in one line. It should be specific, challenging, and genuinely feasible. If it is not feasible, say so - WOOP will surface disengagement, and that is honest, not a failure.
- Outcome. Name the single best result of fulfilling the wish, vividly and concretely. One line.
- Obstacle. Identify the main internal obstacle in yourself that stands in the way (a habit, fear, impulse, avoidance), not an external blocker. This is the step that does the work; do not skip it.
- Plan. Write one or more if-then statements: "If [obstacle or the situation that triggers it], then I will [specific, doable action]." Make the action concrete enough to execute without deciding again.
- Emit the WOOP card per
references/TEMPLATE.md.
Output Format
Use the template in references/TEMPLATE.md. The deliverable is the four-part card with a concrete if-then plan, not prose or a pep talk.
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing, verify:
- The Wish is specific, challenging, and feasible (or infeasibility is named honestly).
- The Obstacle is internal and controllable, not an external blocker.
- The Plan is a concrete if-then statement, not a vague intention.
- The obstacle step is present (outcome-only is rejected because it backfires).
- The output is the WOOP card artifact, not a motivational essay.
Evidence
Tier S. Mental contrasting with implementation intentions improves goal attainment across 25+ randomized controlled trials in health, academic, and work domains (Oettingen; Gollwitzer; Wang et al. 2021 meta-analysis) - among the best-evidenced behavior-change methods. Note the honest inversion: positive outcome fantasy without the obstacle reduces follow-through, so the obstacle and if-then plan are mandatory. The evidence is for humans doing WOOP on their own goals, transferred to AI use, not AI-validated. Full grading: evidence/dossier.md.
Examples
See references/EXAMPLE.md for a completed WOOP card.