From a pretty early age, I remember thinking that it would be really cool to compete in one of those really big international competitions someday. Something along the lines of the Indianapolis or Tchaikovsky competition or any one of those competitions named after famous composers, musicians, or royalty.
Of course, that would require a good amount of planning and practicing…which weren’t exactly my strong suits as a kid.
I always assumed that I’d get my act together and make this happen someday, but never could seem to get all the repertoire ready in time to make a tape (I know, excuses, excuses…). So when I entered grad school, I was determined to make this happen.
SMART goals
For once, I got a tape made and an application submitted, and was pretty excited to hear I was admitted to the Nielsen competition.
I started visualizing success, and was super optimistic about how prepared I would be for once in my life.
I set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-based) goals, outlined my objectives, and created a series of deadlines and benchmarks for the next 6 months.
It was all very clear in my head. But then life happened. Or more specifically, summer happened.
But then…
It was really hot in my apartment that summer, which made it hard to focus. Some unexpected gigs came up that took away some practice time. My teachers were out of town so I didn’t have regular lessons. My girlfriend was in the city for a couple months, and she was way more fun to spend time with than Bach, Wieniawski, Nielsen, et al. (although we got married eventually, so that part definitely worked out 😅).
Needless to say, I was not prepared when the week of the competition rolled around. Despite starting off that summer with the best intentions, my SMART goals failed me.
A better way?
This isn’t to say that SMART goals can’t work, of course. But if SMART goals haven’t been a good fit for you either, research suggests that there may be a better way to set goals.
And what might that look like?
A study!
A team of researchers (Duckworth et al., 2011) recruited 66 second-year high school students, who would be getting PSAT prep books as part of their summer homework.
One day near the end of the semester, they were asked to complete an assignment that was made to look like it would help them prepare for the writing part of the test.
Expectations and motivation
First, they were asked about their expectations of success (“How likely do you think it is that you will complete all 10 practice tests in the PSAT workbook?”).
They were also asked a question to gauge their level of motivation (“How important is it to you to complete all 10 practice tests in the PSAT workbook?”)
Benefits and obstacles
Then, they were instructed to write down two positive benefits of completing the practice tests (e.g. “I would feel good about myself”), plus two obstacles that might stand in the way (e.g. “I’m too busy”).
Some of the students were then asked to write a short essay (control group).
The other students were asked to brainstorm two contingency plans for each of the potential obstacles they identified earlier, using the format “If [obstacle], then I will [solution]” (experimental group).
And did contingency planning for likely obstacles make any difference?
Similar starting points…
The researchers found that both groups had similar expectations for success, and equal levels of motivation to complete all 10 practice tests over the summer.
So if goal achievement was based purely on motivation and confidence alone, you might expect both groups of students to come back in the fall with about the same amount of their PSAT prep homework completed.
But that’s not what happened.
But very different results
When the students returned to school in the fall and turned in their workbooks, there was a huge difference in the groups’ level of follow-through.
The students in the control group averaged 84 practice problems. Which isn’t too shabby, I suppose, given that they were on summer break.
But the students in the experimental group blew that group out of the water, completing an average of 140 practice problems.
Sheesh! Why was there such a big difference?
WOOP!
In research circles, this particular goal-setting strategy is known as “mental contrasting with implementation intentions.” Or more commonly, WOOP, which stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan (and is much funner to say 😁).
Here’s how to set a WOOP goal for yourself:
Wish: Come up with a meaningful goal; something important to you that you’re willing to work for.
Outcome: Visualize that future where you’ve achieved your goal. Be sure to imagine not just how it’ll look when you’ve gotten there, but how it’ll feel to accomplish your goal as well.
Obstacle: Imagining success is great, but there are inevitably going to be speed bumps and hurdles along the way. So just as the students in today’s study did, be sure to imagine and visualize some of the obstacles that are likely to get in the way. Note that these obstacles should be things that are internal rather than external – i.e. things that you have control over. Like negative thoughts or emotions or bad habits or tendencies.
Plan: Create an if/then contingency plan for overcoming these obstacles.
Decades of research
Developed by psychologists Gabriele Oettingen and Peter Gollwitzer, there’s a quite a bit of research to support this method, going back 20-some years.
So if you’ve ever tried setting SMART goals, and found yourself falling short, don’t give up on goal setting quite yet!
Try the WOOP approach, and see if this might be the thing that helps you get past the sticking points that have bested you in the past!
Additional resources
Angela Duckworth’s Character Lab has a whole resource section on WOOP here. But here are a few highlights:
- See an example of WOOP in action: Dave Levin at Character Lab
- Take this free 60-minute WOOP course if you want to learn how to introduce this into your teaching or classroom.
And finally, here’s a 21-minute Hidden Brain podcast episode on WOOP, for those who are tired of being told they need to think more positively.
References
Duckworth, A., Grant, H., Loew, B., Oettingen, G., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2011). Self‐regulation strategies improve self‐discipline in adolescents: benefits of mental contrasting and implementation intentions. Educational Psychology, 31(1), 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2010.506003
Another post that hits it on the head. I’ve tried variations on this approach but never seen it systematized before, thank you!
Planning for obstacles and risks is something I’m learning about in business plans, and it belongs in practice plans too. Duh, practice is the business of deliberate change 🙂 And business is the practice of profitable change!
I’ve always sat on the “you just need more discipline/willpower” side of the fence. I have to try this!
It is the good idea to plan obstackes! Thank you!
This is really worth trying. Let’s see what the outcome will be! Thanks again for such a useful article.
Amazing article! So true that all of our obstacles are internal and yet we tend succumb to the emotions and negative thoughts when under stress.. In the practice room however, I noticed that knowing what you don’t know, and isolate exactly what causes a problem is the best recipe to fix it which will tend to stick if planned properly. Love this Woop! Thanks for sharing 🙂