How to get motivated (even when you don’t feel like it)

Motivation – and the lack of it – can feel like one of the most paradoxical, often frustrating experiences we face on a daily basis. How can we intensely want to eat dessert, study or go to the gym, and at the same time intensely not want to, in almost equal measure? This animation from TED-Ed helps to demystify our desires by exploring what psychologists call intrinsic and extrinsic motivation – two distinct drives that can overlap but are often in conflict. Digging into the relevant, sometimes counterintuitive research, the short examines why our motivations can feel so complicated, and how one key to completing long-term goals is enhancing short-term pleasures. For a deeper dive into the psychology of motivation, including how to leverage it to reach your long-term goals, read this Guide.