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

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 and the Time Billionaires Podcast on LinkedIn.

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Chapters

• (00:00:00) - How to Make More Money by Spending Your Time
• (00:01:03) - Micro-Millions: What You're Doing Now
• (00:01:42) - Don't Waste Your Time on Screens
• (00:08:50) - What's Something That You Want to Be True in Retirement
• (00:12:32) - How to Restructure Your Life During Depressions