▷ WOOP – plan B for your success

February is slowly coming to an end and many of the New Year’s resolutions we made for 2023 have failed the reality check. We stopped smoking for maybe a week, trained consistently for 10 days, and got up an hour earlier in the morning for 14 days to come up with the business plan for our company. Then it was over! Unfortunately once again. And we’ve known this since last year.

The firm will to defeat the bastard within you and act every day for a good cause is simply not enough. But be careful: this has nothing to do with lack of self-discipline or laziness!

What you need instead: A precise understanding of the things that continue to prevent you from actively working towards your goal. And just a plan B to make it happen.

Because dreams and positive thinking are not enough (unfortunately!)

There is a culture of positive thinking, especially in the United States: imagine your dream quite vividly, always think about it and visualize it. Then you have enough energy and courage to become active.

No, unfortunately it doesn’t work like that. Dreaming is important, but dreaming too much about how good you will feel as the head of your company has the opposite effect: you feel positive. As if you have already managed to start your own company. You relax (everything already seems so rosy) and your energy is lost. The energy you need to actually tackle your goal.

Because without work and perseverance unfortunately it doesn’t work. But with WOOP you can do it.

WOOP: Reach your goal in four steps

WOOP? It’s simple: a four-step system that will help you stay on track every day and safely reach your goal. Because if there is a problem there is a plan B that removes the obstacles.

Who invented it?

From mental contrast methods and implementation intentions, Prof. Gabriele Oettingen has developed a four-phase path with which to identify the obstacles that continue to prevent you from working consistently on your goal, and the plan B with which to then act and do the right thing.

Here you can get a brief explanation of WOOP:

W = Desire: This is desire. What you really want to achieve. Your New Year’s resolution. Or whatever you have planned for private or business purposes. I prefer to call it a goal because desires are so vague and therefore difficult to achieve.
O = Result: The best, most beautiful thing you hope for when this goal is achieved.
O = Obstacle: The worst obstacle that prevents you from actively tackling your goal.
P = Plan: This is your plan B. What you can do if you are faced with the obstacle again. To defeat it and do what you need to do to achieve your goal.

But learn more about how to take the four steps to achieve all your goals.

WOOP Step 1: Desire. What is your goal? Make it specific.

We all have desires.

a happy relationship as a couple
a successful business
independence
stress-free work
the weight of dreams
a support network

If you’ve read this far, you too have some unanswered desires. So choose one of these wishes now. And ask yourself:

Is this really such an important desire for you that you keep repeating it? A need close to your heart?
and do you have the ability to strongly influence its success? World peace is a desire we all have (maybe right now), but unfortunately the influence we have on its realization is damn small.
are you willing to actively engage and understand that it will take work or effort?
And isn’t the matter so simple that it won’t test you?

So briefly summarize your wish:

«I want to spend more time with my partner.»
“For my commercial success, I develop the irresistible product that opens my market.”
“I finally want to complete my to-dos every day without stress.”

Now you know your desire. Now make sure you understand the real reason that motivates you to take action.

WOOP Phase 2: Result. What do you really want to achieve with your desire?

Behind every desire and every goal there is a why: why do I pursue this goal, what do I really want to achieve for myself and for my life? And where will I be when I arrive? What would be the greatest and best thing that could happen to me?
Attention, now you can dream: imagine it as beautiful as you can.

«When I spend more time with my partner, I feel at one with my family and I feel fulfilled. My life has meaning again and our marriage makes us both happy.»
«My new, irresistible product will guarantee me a high and secure income. I can finally afford everything I want. And in the summer the cruise to the North Cape!
My workdays no longer cost me as much energy because my to-dos are completed. I enjoy my evenings and free time without feeling guilty.»

WOOP Phase 3: Obstacle. What stops you from working every time to achieve your goal?

Especially if you haven’t set your goal for the first time, you probably know why you haven’t achieved it yet. You know the steps you need to take every day, and you know just as well what keeps getting in your way. Now look for the problems and obstacles that prevent you from working every day to achieve your goal.

Important: Focus on the things you can decide for yourself. Those in your power. And identify obstacles that you can eliminate on your own.

If you really want to spend more time with your partner and would like to do it with a weekly date at your favorite Italian restaurant or at the cinema, unfortunately there is always an obligation. A business meeting or the apartment needs tidying up. Or your best friend is having an emotional emergency. Do you know this too?
If you can’t get up an hour earlier in the morning for your new product that will earn you six-figure income, you probably have your alarm set to snooze. Or instead of spending a creative hour on the computer, you might prefer to check social media. Because it’s just too tiring for you in the morning.
If you skipped weekly and daily planning because there was no time, you are no closer to a relaxed workflow.

WOOP Step 4: Plan. Here is plan B to eliminate obstacles

Now you know what regularly prevents you from achieving your dream goal. What stops you from continuously working on it and becoming active. And these are all things you decide for yourself and can decide against. Develop your plan B now, with which you can defuse the critical situation and use your energies for your goal. And describe your plan B as precisely as possible.

«If a request conflicts with the scheduled date with my partner, I refer to my appointment calendar: unfortunately I am not available because the appointment has already been scheduled. And I make a new appointment with whoever calls me/writes the email.»
«If I don’t feel like it or I’m too tired to work on my product development at 6 a.m., I get up, get my coffee, and turn on my computer and Word file. I start some relaxing music and focus on the next step in designing my product.»
«If I don’t have time or feel like making plans for tomorrow night, I open my bullet journal and get my pens ready. And I promise myself I’ll only work on it for 15 minutes. That’s why I set a timer.»

You can see: if you don’t want to take the daily step to achieve your goal (here ability is not a problem, because everything in your power counts, not an earthquake, your computer failure or a broken leg), you give yourself the opportunity to do it with Plan B:

with a response to any unplanned requests, for example when your girlfriend needs you but you have a date with your partner.
with a gentle introduction, a ritual when your inner weakest self prevents you from achieving your goal.
with a clear strategy that you will only dedicate a certain amount of time to the task.

What can you use WOOP for?

Quite simply: for all your wishes and dreams. These can be purely private projects such as losing weight, staying fit, and expanding your personal network. But of course also professional dreams such as your own business, the next step in your career or study. WOOP is an excellent and easy-to-use tool that allows you to strategically achieve your goals.

Provided that the implementation largely depends on you. If you base your business on winning initial money in the lottery or if the date for improving relations depends on your partner’s schedule, you cannot determine 100% how to influence the result. Your plan B only goes so far as it determines and corrects your behavior so it doesn’t get in your way. Which in most cases is more than enough to achieve your goal.

WOOP and your zone of influence

But what if you really want to start winning the lottery and your partner often fails to meet the due date? And the pursuit of your goals is partly outside your zone of influence?

So it’s time to reconsider your goal and correct it so that it corresponds to the reality of your life and your possible zones of influence. Isn’t it possible to start a business on a smaller scale, with a loan from the bank or family? And is there no other way to strengthen your partnership that is less sensitive to deadlines?

So check carefully what you can influence yourself (usually this is your behavior) and where external criteria should be taken into account. And where there is an alternative, a plan B, so that you can achieve your goal.