The Science-Based Way to Set Goals You’ll Actually Stick With

“Why” and “what” are great, but they don’t get you anywhere — here’s the “how” of reaching your goals.

Setting goals is easy. Achieving them is hard. Telling people about them, in some cases, is poison — a now-famous psychology study explains that taking your goals public actually makes you less likely to achieve them.

Why? Your brain’s reward circuitry lights up just by discussing the goal, even if you don’t take action. But action is how you actually meet the goals you set for yourself. Luckily, there’s a science-based practice you can implement to help get you there. There’s a well-being payoff here, too. Pursuing goals that genuinely matter to you — not just any goal — is linked to more effort, better follow-through, and real gains in well-being. Having something meaningful to work toward is its own small dose of optimism; the trick is turning it into action.

What You Should Know About Goal Setting

Conventional wisdom on goal-setting focuses on defining a goal and then figuring out how to achieve it. In some cases, this works just fine; foundational research shows that goals consistent with personal values (called “self-concordant”) are more attainable and satisfying.

However, no formula works in all cases. For complex or particularly challenging goals, a more sophisticated structure is required. “I know what I want” is less than half of the puzzle; you need a tangible, practical framework to get there.

Going Deeper on Goal Setting

The WOOP system is based on an existing psychological strategy for overcoming obstacles. It stands for “wish, outcome, obstacle, plan” and looks like this:

• Wish: A desire that’s challenging but realistically attainable.
• Outcome: The best possible result of achieving that wish — and how it would feel.
• Obstacle: The internal hurdle — a feeling, habit, or thought — most likely to get in your way.
• Plan: An if-then plan for exactly what you’ll do when that obstacle shows up.

WOOP is based on a 2021 meta-analysis of 21 studies of over 15,000 participants. Wang & colleagues found a “small to moderate effect” on goal attainment by utilizing “mental contrasting with implementation intentions,” the infrastructure WOOP was built on.

Put simply: Achieving a goal comes down to what you avoid just as much as what you do. 

And this framework doesn’t just apply to life-defining goals. The mental contrasting technique has shown up in other research areas, such as helping people increase their fruit & vegetable consumption. 

How To Use WOOP to Achieve Goals

Let’s get practical. Your goal is to go to the gym more often — a common and achievable goal. But, for some reason, you can’t seem to get yourself there. Here’s how you might apply the WOOP framework:

• Wish: I want to exercise at the gym more often.
• Outcome: I’d feel healthier, stronger, and more confident.
• Obstacle: After a long workday, I tell myself I’m too tired and skip it.
• Plan: If I feel too tired to go after work, then I’ll change into the gym clothes I laid out that morning and commit to just 20 minutes.

The Takeaway

Instead of fixating on the goal itself, which can seem far afield and unreachable, WOOP puts you in problem-solving mode instead, breaking down the obstacles that interfere with goal achievement into manageable tasks. Try WOOP when you have something you want to accomplish, but struggle to get the ball rolling. 

Bottom Line

WOOP is not a cheat code for achieving goals; you still have to do the work. The clinical framework WOOP is based on is solid, but it’s not magic. Put plainly, WOOP gives you a system to fall back on when your goals feel intimidating or out of reach.