Tools for Setting & Achieving Goals | Dr. Emily Balcetis

About this video

Dr. Emily Balcetis, a psychology professor at New York University, joins Huberman to discuss motivation, goal setting and research-supported tools for completing goals, drawing on her book Clearer, Closer, Better. Huberman explains that Dr. Balcetis’s work shows how people literally visualise a goal, as near or far, or at the top of a steep or shallow hill, strongly shapes the energy they bring to it and whether they focus on immediate milestones or feel they must overcome everything at once. Dr. Balcetis illustrates planning for obstacles with Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics: she recounts that when his goggles filled with water in the 200 fly, he counted his strokes because he and his coach had foreshadowed that failure and practised swimming without properly secured goggles, and he won his eighth gold medal.

Key takeaways

• Dr. Balcetis argues how we visualise a goal shapes the energy and strategy we bring to it.
• Dr. Balcetis recommends thinking in advance about the ways a plan might go awry.
• Dr. Balcetis uses Michael Phelps counting strokes with water-filled goggles as an example of foreshadowed obstacles.
• Huberman describes Dr. Balcetis’s tools as applicable to educational, career and relationship goals.
• Dr. Balcetis presents visualisation as a way to make goals feel tractable rather than overwhelming.

Episode details: published August 1, 2022 · 496.1K views · 1:38:18 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The science and protocols described are Andrew Huberman’s, presented for education — not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before changing your own health practices.

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