Module 7 · Planning & self-regulation · Research-supported

Plan for the obstacles

Name what will get in the way, and decide now what you’ll do then.

6 min read · Level: Intermediate · Free — no account needed to read

The problem it solves

What will you do when the obstacle turns up — as it will?

The concept

Coping planning means naming the obstacles most likely to get in the way, and deciding in advance what you’ll do when they do. It’s an if–then plan aimed at barriers: “If it’s raining, then I’ll do the indoor workout video.”

Contingency planning extends this to bigger disruptions — travel, illness, busy seasons — with a smaller or different version ready.

Mental contrasting helps find the real obstacles: picture the goal you want, then honestly picture what inside you or around you is most likely to stop you. That obstacle is what the plan should address.

Why it matters

In people returning to exercise after cardiac rehabilitation, coping plans helped turn intentions into action, and combining mental contrasting with if–then plans (WOOP) has research support.

Research-supported: Good studies support it, but there are fewer of them, the effects are modest, or they come from a narrow set of situations.

See it happen

Paulo’s evening walk plan collapses every time he works late.

The ordinary first approach

He’ll try harder to leave work on time.

With the idea

He writes: “If I work past 7, then I’ll take a 10-minute walk around the block before dinner instead.”

What changed

The most common obstacle now has its own plan, so the habit bends instead of breaking.

Easy to get wrong

• Planning only for good days.
• Naming obstacles too vaguely, like “life gets in the way”.
• Choosing a coping response as hard as the original habit.

Different perspectives

Where the field genuinely disagrees. None of these is presented as the answer.

Think about obstacles

Mental-contrasting research suggests picturing the obstacle — not just the dream — energises action when the goal is realistic.

Don’t dwell

Some people find obstacle-thinking discouraging; the aim is a short, practical plan for the obstacle, not rumination about everything that could go wrong.

Try it now: WOOP one habit

1. Wish: write what you want from one habit.
2. Outcome: imagine the best result for a moment. Obstacle: name the main thing that could stop you.
3. Plan: write “If [obstacle], then I will…”

Apply it to one of your habits

For one of your habits, what is the most likely obstacle, and what will you do when it happens?

Reflect

• Which obstacle shows up most often across your habits?

Go deeper — evidence & sources

• Sniehotta, Scholz & Schwarzer (2005). Bridging the intention–behaviour gap: Planning, self-efficacy, and action control in the adoption and maintenance of physical exercise. Psychology & Health. doi:10.1080/08870440512331317670
• Oettingen (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology. doi:10.1080/10463283.2011.643698
• WOOP — Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan