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Emily Balcetis: If You Focus On The Finish Line, Will You Get There Faster? To get better at anything, you need motivation. But conjuring it up can be tough. Psychologist Emily Balcetis says the key to better motivation is simple — just focus on the finish line.

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Emily Balcetis: If You Focus On The Finish Line, Will You Get There Faster?

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Emily Balcetis: If You Focus On The Finish Line, Will You Get There Faster?

Emily Balcetis: If You Focus On The Finish Line, Will You Get There Faster?

Emily Balcetis: If You Focus On The Finish Line, Will You Get There Faster?

Listen · 9:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/532839626/533103589" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Heard on TED Radio Hour

NPR/TED Staff

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode A Better You.

About Emily Balcetis's TED Talk

To get better at anything, you need motivation. But conjuring it up can be tough. Psychologist Emily Balcetis says the key to better motivation is simple — just focus on the finish line.

About Emily Balcetis

Emily Balcetis is a Professor of Psychology at New York University. Her research explores how small differences in perception can have major consequences. By becoming aware of our biases, Balcetis believes we can work to overcome them.

TED Radio HourTED Radio Hour

A journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, and new ways to think and create. Based on riveting TEDTalks from the world's most remarkable minds.