UCLA's Anderson School of Management - Cassie Holmes

Summary 

In this episode, Tia Graham interviews Cassie Holmes, a professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and author of the book “Happier Hour.” They discuss how to stop feeling time poor, manage distractions, and design an ideal week to live with intention and happiness. 

Guests 

• Cassie Holmes: Professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and author of “Happier Hour” 

Topics discussed 

• The prevalence and negative effects of feeling time poor 

• Strategies for managing time and being more present 

• The impact of distractions, especially from phones, on achieving a state of flow 

• Turning routines into rituals to make them more special 

• Recognizing the limited time we have for certain activities and being more present during them 

• Designing an ideal week by prioritizing worthwhile activities and protecting time for them 

Key takeaways 

• Nearly half of Americans feel time poor, which negatively affects their happiness and fulfillment. 

• Tracking your time and evaluating how different activities make you feel can help you identify worthwhile ways to spend your time. 

• Carving out no phone zones and turning routines into rituals can help minimize distractions and increase engagement. 

• Recognizing the limited time you have for certain activities can help you be more present and appreciate the moments. 

• Designing an ideal week involves prioritizing and intentionally making time for activities that matter to you. 

Notable quotes 

• “We feel it emotionally. You also see that when people feel time poor, they’re less healthy, right? People exercise less. They delay going to the doctor when they’re sick. Um, they’re more likely to eat fast and unhealthy food because it’s faster.” - Cassie Holmes 

• “If you turn a routine into a ritual, that makes it more special. So, and you can even give it a name. Like, you know, if you go out for dinner with your husband or your partner, um, every Friday night. Call it date night, right? Call it a date.” - Cassie Holmes 

• “Recognizing that, in fact, life feels full and good and even bested. And with that, that greater sense of having spent in these worthwhile ways, it actually gives you energy. So it is, it’s not depleting. It is not depleting.” - Cassie Holmes 

Entities mentioned 

• UCLA’s Anderson School of Management 

• “Happier Hour” (book) 

• Wharton School 

• Columbia University 

• Stanford University 

Keywords 

time poverty, distractions, flow, rituals, engagement, design ideal week, tracking time, worthwhile activities, presence, limited time, phone zones, prioritization