When we’re talking about New Year's resolutions, we’re really just talking about goals, ideas, dreams, better versions of ourselves that we may or may not realize. Sometimes our plans are loftier than others—a better paying job! A killer beach body! Learning “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” on the piano! So, imagining yourself having achieved these goals is a fantastic way to let your mind wander when you're in the grocery checkout line or on the subway.

Unfortunately, if you want results, it's useful to be wary of positive thinking. You nearly trick yourself into believing you’ve accomplished your goals, which in turn actually keeps you from doing so.

This is the dogma of WOOP, a science-ish strategy devised by author, NYU psychology professor, and motivation expert Gabriele Oettingen to help people identify their dreams and wishes, and ultimately get them. WOOP doesn’t negate or eliminate positive thinking; it just puts things into perspective. Essentially, it needs to be complemented by some reality about what’s holding you back, and what you need to do to stop being held back. This can often be unpleasant.

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The positive thinking stems from your wish, the “W.” And though it’s very pleasant to imagine Gigi Hadid walking down the aisle towards your waiting arms, you’ve got to keep it real and keep it feasible, according to Oettingen. It should be something you can do in a timeframe that you set, but still be a bit of challenge. And of course, it should be something near and dear to you: “The only thing that’s really important is that the wish is important for you, a wish you really want.”

Let's say you want to get to the gym four times a week. Okay, so you’ve got your goal, your resolution, and your future chiseled frame in your mind—the fantasizing is the easy part. Next, Oettingen says to “phrase it in three to four words and keep it in front of your mind. Then specify the best outcome, the best thing you can associate with that wish—how it would feel, an emotion, or a result. Identify that and keep it front of mind and phrase it in three to four words.” Keeping things in simple yet specific terms in your mind is of the utmost importance. I suppose it gives you a more clear target, as opposed to some amorphous blob of success. This is the first O (for outcome!).

The next step is more introspective, and this is where Oettingen says things get interesting. You suddenly start to learn a lot about yourself, your motivations, and the obstacles holding you back. “Once you have dreamt about that outcome, ask yourself what is it in me that holds me back from fulfilling that wish and experiencing that outcome,” she instructs. By doing this you find your “inner most obstacle” and it could be something as simple as “I don’t have time,” she says. But, then question why you don’t have time, what is it in you that’s keeping you from having time and so and so forth. “With a little bit of honesty and a little bit of humor you do find what your obstacle is. And you get rid of those excuses you may have used for a long time.” Again, write ‘em down. That’s the second O (for obstacle!).

At this point you know your wish (or goal or resolution or whatever), you know what the most ideal outcome is, and you know what’s in your way. Armed with this information, you then form a plan. Oettingen put it quite plainly, “If [obstacle], then I will [effective action],” she said over the phone. If X happens, I’ll do Y—that sort of thing. To do this properly, you have to determine the most effective solution to each obstacle. So if we take the example of not having enough time to go to the gym, then perhaps the most effective action is waking up earlier or eschewing other plans. (Oh, and if you haven’t guessed, this is the P, for plan.)

Whatever works for you works for WOOP.

The WOOP method can be applied beyond goals as well, it can help you get some real clarity no questions in your life, Oettingen explained. Apply this method of thinking when considering jobs, trips, marriage, whatever you’ve got. But, regardless of the process, Oettingen stresses that you must do it wholeheartedly. “You just need a calm for yourself and you need to focus on WOOP and nothing else and then go through the four step process.” Sometimes throughout the process you may discover some things simply aren’t feasible. I won’t be an NFL quarterback, ever. And though that’s an extreme example, Oettingen reminds us that “it’s so nice to forget things and engage in those things which are feasible, as long as you don’t have a bad conscience about it.”

If you need an extra push, you can read up on the whole thing in Oettingen’s book Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation and download her app that’ll keep you on track. Think of it like Tinder. But for goals. Or something.