WOOP! There it is!

As far as goal-setting techniques go, there are a plethora of evidence-based time-management tools with an alphabet soup of acronyms that can help you get started on accomplishing your goals. If you’re like me, some of the time-tested techniques, like SMART goal setting, might already cause apprehension and anxiety to build up–immediately causing you to give up your lofty goals only to procrastinate again for the 1,000th time. 

There is plenty of research and commentary on the connection between procrastination and perfectionism and with the overwhelming abundance of distractions fueled by social media and the perfect products that you see from influencers giving us the illusion that the final product is all that counts, it can create a challenge for the “normies” that just want to sit down and get their humble baking goals off the ground. 

That’s why I think WOOP (yes, it’s another acronym but bear with me) is such a nifty little planner because it forces you to tackle the mental roadblocks like procrastination that really get to the heart of why you aren’t fulfilling your goals.

So, what is WOOP?

WOOP stands for (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan), and the main purpose of these steps is to deeply self-examine yourself and how you mentally visualize your goal as it manifests into reality. 

WISH

With the first letter, you are asked to simply state a wish or desire that you have (your goal). It should be meaningful to you and something that perhaps might scare you a little because you might have done it in the past but gave up.

OUTCOME

The outcome asks you to reflect on how you would feel when that goal is realized. Take note of how you would feel and what benefits to your overall quality of life this would have on you.

OBSTACLE

Here comes the icky part for many of us. It’s being very real about what potential obstacles there are, both with the reality of the situation we are in and our own self-sabotaging mental constructs and limitations. 

PLAN

Finally, comes the plan of action. This may look different for many people and depending on what the wish is might require some fine-tuned steps or a plan of intervention in case something doesn’t work out. 

What I really like about the WOOP technique is the recursive nature of it. For example, if down the line you are brainstorming obstacles and realize that the heart of the matter is that the initial wish you envisioned actually wasn’t serving you, then you can go back to W and make that adjustment. 

With many people realizing that they are not happy in their current job and are considering a career change, this might be the perfect opportunity to try out WOOP and see where your future is aligning you towards. Better yet, once you’ve committed to realizing your vision, you can pair it with SMART goals so that you have a more objective and measurable outcome that factors in time. 

WOOP might be the goal-setting technique that brings you into a whole new relationship with not only your goals but with yourself.

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This was written by Contributor Kevin Kudic!

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