Escaping the Time Poverty Trap: From Constant Urgency to Intentional Living with Cassie Holmes
February 5, 2026
What if the secret to sustainable high performance wasn't working harder, but rethinking how you experience time?
In this episode of Humanity at Scale, host Bruce Temkin speaks with Cassie Holmes, Chaired Professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management, and best-selling author about why time, and not money, is the true currency of sustainable performance. Together they unpack the concept of time poverty, how constant urgency fuels burnout, and why small, intentional shifts in how we experience time can dramatically improve well-being. From zooming out to clarify purpose and protecting focus time at work, the conversation shows how leaders and individuals can achieve extraordinary results while supporting genuine human flourishing.
What if the secret to sustainable high performance wasn't working harder, but rethinking how you experience time?
In this episode of Humanity at Scale, host Bruce Temkin speaks with Cassie Holmes, Chaired Professor at UCLA Anderson School of Management, and best-selling author about why time, and not money, is the true currency of sustainable performance. Together they unpack the concept of time poverty, how constant urgency fuels burnout, and why small, intentional shifts in how we experience time can dramatically improve well-being. From zooming out to clarify purpose and protecting focus time at work, the conversation shows how leaders and individuals can achieve extraordinary results while supporting genuine human flourishing.
Here are some of the topics that Bruce and Cassie explore:
- How to recognize time poverty as the root cause of burnout
- Why shifting focus from money to time as your critical resource measurably improves happiness and intention
- The perspective principle: zoom out to reduce anxiety, zoom in to create it
- How to use the "five whys" exercise to uncover intrinsic purpose
- Why protecting focus time and meeting-free blocks are structural leadership choices
- How quality of time, not quantity, creates extraordinary happiness in ordinary moments
Cassie Holmes is a chaired professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a leading expert on time and happiness. She is the author of the bestselling book Happier Hour, based on her popular MBA course, Life Design for Happiness. Her research on how time shapes well-being has earned multiple Early Career Awards and wide media coverage. Previously, she was a tenured, award-winning professor at Wharton and holds a PhD from Stanford.
Episode Resources: