WOOP Intention Builder
WOOP turns wishful thinking into action. Move through four guided prompts — Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan — to set a vivid goal and build an if-then plan that dramatically increases your odds of following through.
Free · No signup · Runs in your browser · Nothing is stored
How it works
- 1Wish: name a meaningful goal for the session or day.
- 2Outcome: vividly imagine the best result of achieving it.
- 3Obstacle: identify the inner obstacle most likely to stop you.
- 4Plan: create an if-then plan to handle that obstacle.
Benefits
- Converts vague wishes into concrete, actionable plans
- Builds if-then plans proven to boost follow-through
- Anticipates obstacles before they derail you
- A repeatable framework for any goal
The science
WOOP is based on Gabriele Oettingen’s research on mental contrasting and implementation intentions. Pairing a vivid outcome with an if-then plan reliably outperforms positive thinking alone.
Frequently asked questions
What does WOOP stand for?⌄
Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan. It is a science-backed goal-setting method that combines mental contrasting with if-then implementation planning.
Why does WOOP work?⌄
Imagining the obstacle (not just the goal) and pre-deciding your response with an if-then plan removes in-the-moment hesitation, which is where good intentions usually fail.