A coaching tool · based on Gabriele Oettingen · adapted
From "I wish" to "here's what I'm doing."WOOP is an adapted method that helps you turn
a wish into a concrete step through mental contrasting.
Your data stays on your device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
You have a WOOP in progress:
Completed WOOPs
What's your time horizon?
Before you begin
How far ahead are you looking? The clearer the time frame, the more concrete the wish.
W
Wish — your wish
Step 1 of 4 · horizon:
What's a wish that matters to you within this horizon?
Something that means a lot to you, challenging but doable. In 3–8 words.
Check: is it your wish? Not what your parents, teachers or friends
say you should want. WOOP only works for things you genuinely want to do.
0 words
Example wishes:
Wish:
O
Outcome — the best result
Step 2 of 4 · horizon:
Imagine how you feel and how your life changes once the wish has come true.
Don't restate the wish in numbers — describe what you feel, inside.
Close your eyes for 60 seconds and picture, like a short film, what it's like afterwards.
01:00
Watch out: The outcome isn't the wish restated. If you can measure what you wrote
with a scale, a tape measure or a calendar — you're still describing the wish. The outcome is felt:
relief, pride, energy, calm, confidence.
Wish:
O
Obstacle — the obstacle inside you
Step 3 of 4 · horizon:
What's the main obstacle inside you that stops you?
An emotion, a habit, a fear, a thought — not a circumstance out there.
Watch out: WOOP only works with inner obstacles.
Not "my parents", "too much homework", "my friends" or "the teacher" — but what happens
inside you: an emotion (fear, boredom), a habit
(scrolling, putting things off), a thought ("it won't work out", "I'll embarrass myself").
Why does it matter? Because if you say "too much homework", you can't plan around it. If you say "I freeze when I see how much there is to do", you CAN prepare a plan for that moment.
Close your eyes for 60 seconds and look honestly at what holds you back.
01:00
Wish:
P
Plan — the "if-then" plan
Step 4 of 4 · horizon:
Decide now how you'll respond when the obstacle shows up — so you don't have
to decide in that moment, when you're already caught up in it.
When your inner obstacle shows up
The concrete, small action you'll take instead
Example if-then plans:
I get lost on TikTok → I put my phone in another roomI get bored with homework → I walk for 5 min and come backI'm scared to ask her → I send a short message firstI want to give up → I do just 5 minutes and seeI compare myself on Insta → I close the app for 1 hour