How to Plan Effectively to Protect Your Focus with UCLA’s Hal Hershfield — Part 1

6 Improv Principles That Will Boost Your Confidence with David Westerlund — Part 1

Did you know that you can do improv without performing? And there’s surprising research about the ways improv exercises actually improve your focus, reduce overwhelm, and help you make better use of the small gaps in your day? In part 1 of this conversation, Rebecca speaks with David Westerlund, an applied improv coach with over a decade of experience bringing improv principles to corporate teams, universities, and leaders of all levels, helping them build stronger communication skills, problem-solving, collaboration, and creative momentum. Presence isn't a personality trait, it's a micro-skill you can train. David breaks down how improv principles like "yes, and," noticing offers, and the Seven Things exercise aren't about performance. They're practical tools for reclaiming focus in micromoments, breaking planning analysis paralysis, and showing up more fully in meetings, conversations, and your own day. If you've ever felt stuck overplanning, distracted in back-to-back meetings, or unable to find creativity when you need it most, this episode gives you simple, research-backed tools you can use in under five minutes. What You'll Learn: * How the Seven Things exercise builds presence and focus in under a minute.  * Why noticing "hidden offers" in everyday conversation transforms how you connect with people. * How “fractal thinking” takes inspiration from nature and leverages small behavioral changes to create outsized impact.  * The difference between "yes, and" and "both/and" — and why neither means agreeing with everything someone else says.  Timestamps 1. Seeking and Accepting “Offers” in Interactions – 00:02:56 2. Seven Things Noticing & Appreciation Exercise – 00:05:23 3. Applying Fractal Patterns to Teams & Habits – 00:07:20 4. The “Leap” Principle to Building Momentum and Confidence – 00:09:39 5. “Yes And” vs. “Both And” Communication Framework – 00:13:44 Connect with David Website: https://davidwesterlund.com/about/ [https://davidwesterlund.com/about/]LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-westerlund [https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-westerlund]Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidjwesterlund/ [https://www.instagram.com/davidjwesterlund/] For more insight on making the most out of the small moments in your day, follow Rebecca [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccashaddix/] and the Time Billionaires Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-billionaires-pod] on LinkedIn. And if you liked the show, subscribe to follow it.

Beyond Willpower: How to Follow Through on Your Intentions with UCLA’s Hal Hershfield — Part 2

What would you do differently today if you could have a conversation with your future self? According to UCLA Anderson School of Management professor Hal Hershfield, probably a lot.  This episode explores practice suggestions to follow through on the intentions we set for ourselves, because willpower alone almost never works consistently enough to be an effective strategy. Hal shares new research on why commitment devices work so well and yet so few people use them, how understanding barriers as external obstacles (rather than personal failures) is the key to making them stick, and what the emerging field of AI digital twins could mean for how we make decisions about time, focus, and the life we're building. If part one was about recognizing the gap between your present and future self, this episode is about what to do about it. What You'll Learn: * Why spontaneity has real value, and why over-researching decisions has diminishing returns just like over-planning does. * How hot vs. cold states affect follow-through, and why pre-committing in a calm moment is your best shot at protecting focus when things get stressful. * Why commitment devices work when willpower doesn't, and how to make them work for your daily life, so you make one single decision instead of overcoming temptation each time it arises. * How “anchoring” tricks us into thinking five minutes of scrolling is fine, and what to do about it. Timestamps: 1. Spontaneity vs. Pre-planning in Time Use – 00:02:49 2. Hot vs. Cold State Planning for Micromoments – 00:03:21 3. Commitment Devices vs. Willpower in Managing Distractions – 00:05:11 4. Anchoring’s Effect on Decision-Making and Productivity – 00:07:20 5. Writing a letter from your future self, to the present self – 00:13:18 Connect with Hal Website: https://www.halhershfield.com/ [https://www.halhershfield.com/]LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hal-hershfield [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hal-hershfield]Hal’s Book: https://www.halhershfield.com/yourfutureself [https://www.halhershfield.com/yourfutureself]Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-behavioral-divide-with-hal-hershfield/id1713168854 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-behavioral-divide-with-hal-hershfield/id1713168854] For more insight on making the most out of the small moments in your day, follow Rebecca [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccashaddix/] and the Time Billionaires Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-billionaires-pod] on LinkedIn.  And if you liked the show, subscribe to follow it.

How to Plan Effectively to Protect Your Focus with UCLA’s Hal Hershfield — Part 1

What if the small moments you're rushing through or scrolling away are actually the ones that determine your long-term focus, wellbeing, and productivity? In this episode of Time Billionaires, Rebecca speaks with Hal Hershfield, a professor at UCLA's Anderson School of Management, behavioral economics researcher, author of Your Future Self, and host of The Behavioral Divide. His work has been featured in The New York Times and Harvard Business Review. Hal's research reveals how we emotionally distance ourselves from our future selves and make countless small decisions that quietly ripple into long-term satisfaction, wellbeing, and productivity. In this first part of their conversation, Rebecca and Hal unpack how our perception of time shapes both major life choices and everyday focus, and why bridging the gap between our present and future selves is the key to sustainable productivity and happiness. Hal explains that we often treat our future self like a stranger, which drives us toward either revenge procrastination or hyper-planning, and that paradoxically, one of the most powerful things we can do for our future self is invest fully in the present moment. If you've ever caught yourself scrolling between meetings for a quick dopamine hit, clearing your inbox instead of doing deep work, or over-planning things that don't need decisions yet, this conversation offers research-backed ideas for better focus and more intentional time management. What You'll Learn: * How small transitions, like the five minutes between meetings, quietly accumulate into productivity loss when we default to scrolling or low-priority email. * What revenge procrastination is, why it shows up under uncertainty, and how to redirect it without guilt. * The difference between pre-crastination and procrastination and how they’re related to the same fear-based emotions.  * Why focusing on the present isn't the opposite of planning for the future.   Timestamps 1. Transitions: Distraction vs. Focus – 00:02:57 2. Procrastination as a Control Mechanism – 00:06:28 3. Precrastination and Hyperopia: The Pitfalls of Over-Planning – 00:08:55. 4. Making Decisions for our Future Selves – 00:14:44 Connect with Hal Website: https://www.halhershfield.com/ [https://www.halhershfield.com/]LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hal-hershfield [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hal-hershfield]Hal’s Book: https://www.halhershfield.com/yourfutureself [https://www.halhershfield.com/yourfutureself]Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-behavioral-divide-with-hal-hershfield/id1713168854 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-behavioral-divide-with-hal-hershfield/id1713168854] For more insight on making the most out of the small moments in your day, follow Rebecca [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccashaddix/] and the Time Billionaires Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-billionaires-pod] on LinkedIn. And if you liked the show, subscribe to follow it.

How to Prevent Burnout With Better Energy Management with Mollie West Duffy — Part 2

What if the key to getting more done isn't managing your time better—but managing your energy? In this episode of Time Billionaires, Rebecca sits down with Mollie West Duffy, Head of Learning & Development at Lattice and co-author of Big Feelings and No Hard Feelings, to explore the science of sustainable productivity, burnout prevention, and energy management. Drawing on years of research and experience helping leaders build healthier workplaces, Mollie explains why recovery isn't the opposite of productivity—it's what makes high performance possible. She shares practical strategies for creating more focus, protecting your energy, and building intentional breaks into even the busiest workdays. Whether you're exhausted by back-to-back meetings, struggling to disconnect after work, or feeling constantly busy but never fully recharged, you'll walk away with simple, research-backed practices you can start using immediately. In this episode, you'll learn: * How intentional downtime improves focus, creativity, and cognitive performance * Why your brain needs breaks to process information and restore mental capacity * The surprising role unstructured leisure plays in preventing burnout Timestamps 1. Micro-break walking between meetings for energy management – 00:00:00 2. One-word meeting debriefs to close mental loops – 00:05:03 3. Research-backed sweet spot for unstructured leisure time (2–5 hrs) – 00:09:58 4. Harnessing transitional periods – 00:12:00 5. The “Yes Damn” principle vs. “Hell Yes, or No” decision framework – 00:16:57 Connect with Mollie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molliewest [https://www.linkedin.com/in/molliewest] Mollie West Duffy is the Head of Learning & Development at Lattice, where she helps organizations build stronger leaders, healthier workplace cultures, and high-performing teams. An expert in organizational development, leadership, coaching, and learning & development, she previously led organizational design work at IDEO, advising leaders and founders at companies including Google, LinkedIn, Slack, and Casper. Her work has also supported organizations such as JetBlue, Mars, Citibank, the U.S. State Department, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Mollie is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Quartz, sharing research-backed insights on leadership, workplace culture, and professional growth. For more insight on making the most out of the small moments in your day, follow Rebecca [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccashaddix/] and the Time Billionaires Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-billionaires-pod] on LinkedIn. And if you like the show, subscribe to follow it.

The 3 Types of Burnout and What Your Emotions Are Telling You with Mollie West Duffy — Part 1

Are you burned out — or just overwhelmed? Most people can't tell the difference, and that's exactly the problem. In part 1 of this conversation, Rebecca speaks with Mollie West Duffy, co-author of Big Feelings and No Hard Feelings and organizational consultant at Lattice. Mollie has spent years researching emotional intelligence and workplace psychology, helping individuals and teams understand how emotions drive performance, resilience, and wellbeing. This episode reframes how you think about difficult emotions. Burnout, regret, and overwhelm aren't problems to fix — they're signals worth decoding. Mollie breaks down the three distinct clinical types of burnout (and why treating them the same way doesn't work), explains why regret is one of the most useful emotions for growth, and shares why a single question — "Why is this so hard right now?" — can reveal hidden stressors before they become chronic exhaustion. If you've ever had a simple task feel impossible, struggled to focus despite trying hard, or wondered why you feel depleted even on easier days, this episode gives you a framework to understand what's actually happening — and what to do about it. What You'll Learn: * The three clinical types of burnout and how to identify which one you're experiencing * Why regret is a healthy emotion that leads to better decisions * How overwhelm limits your mental bandwidth and what to do about it * The one question that surfaces hidden stressors before they escalate * Why unrealistic expectations quietly fuel burnout and self-criticism * Simple emotional check-ins that improve focus and daily performance About Mollie West Duffy: Mollie West Duffy is the co-author of Big Feelings and No Hard Feelings, two books on emotional intelligence in work and life. She is an organizational design consultant at Lattice and has worked with companies and teams to build healthier, more emotionally intelligent workplaces. Timestamps: * 00:00 — Why regret is useful, not something to avoid * 01:31 — How Mollie developed the Big Feelings framework * 03:40 — The evolutionary purpose of core emotions * 06:37 — The three clinical types of burnout, explained * 14:47 — Recognizing overwhelm and what it does to mental bandwidth Connect with Mollie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molliewest [https://www.linkedin.com/in/molliewest] For more insight on making the most out of the small moments in your day, follow Rebecca [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccashaddix/] and the Time Billionaires Podcast [https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-billionaires-pod] on LinkedIn. And if you liked the show, subscribe to follow it.