Using Visualization to Get from Point A to Point Z

Visualization is one of the most popular ideas in personal development. Picture your goal clearly enough, the advice goes, and you'll be more likely to achieve it. There's some truth here, but research suggests that how you visualise matters a great deal. Done one way, it can help. Done another, it can actually make you less likely to succeed.

Outcome vs process

In a well-known 1998 study, psychologist Shelley Taylor and colleagues asked students preparing for an exam to spend a few minutes each day visualising. One group pictured themselves receiving a high grade (outcome simulation). Another group pictured themselves studying: sitting at their desk, reading, reviewing notes (process simulation).

The process group studied more, felt less anxious and performed better on the exam than the outcome group. Simply imagining success didn't help much. Imagining the steps did.

The trap of positive fantasies

Psychologist Gabriele Oettingen has spent decades studying positive thinking. Her research suggests that indulging in pleasant fantasies about a desired future can sometimes reduce the energy people put into achieving it, perhaps because the mind partly experiences the reward in advance.

Her solution is a technique called mental contrasting: imagine the outcome you want, then imagine the main obstacle standing in your way. Combined with implementation intentions (if-then plans), this became the WOOP method: Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan.

A visualization method that works

1. Point A: Where are you now? Be honest about your starting point. What's your current situation, skill level or progress?

2. Point Z: Where do you want to be? Picture your goal clearly. What does it look like, feel like? Why does it matter to you? Spend a minute or two on this, but don't linger too long.

3. The path: What are the steps? Imagine yourself doing the work: the practice sessions, the conversations, the early mornings. See yourself working through it, step by step.

4. The obstacles: What could go wrong? Picture the most likely obstacles. Tiredness, distraction, self-doubt, other people's demands. Where are you most likely to stumble?

5. The plan: How will you respond? For each obstacle, create an if-then plan. "If I feel too tired to go for a run after work, I'll put on my trainers and walk for ten minutes instead." "If I start doubting myself before the presentation, I'll reread my notes and remind myself I've prepared."

Examples

Goal: Run a 5 km race. - Process: picture lacing up your shoes, running three times a week, gradually increasing distance. - Obstacle: rainy mornings. - Plan: "If it's raining, I'll run in the afternoon or do an indoor workout."

Goal: Ask for a pay rise. - Process: picture gathering evidence of your achievements, practising what you'll say, booking the meeting. - Obstacle: nerves in the moment. - Plan: "If I feel nervous, I'll take a breath and start with my first prepared sentence."

Visualization boards

Vision boards can be a useful reminder of what you're working towards, but they work best when combined with planning. Our article on creating your future using a vision board explains how to use them well, and the vision board builder lets you make one privately.

Try this

Choose one goal. Spend five minutes working through the five steps above. Write down your if-then plans and put them somewhere you'll see them.