Stop Being Busy and Start Being Effective — The Productivity Mindset Women Entrepreneurs Need to Move the Needle
If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “I don’t have time,” this episode will change how you see time forever.
In this episode of QueenMode, Dr. Ana Castilla breaks down why traditional time-management advice fails women entrepreneurs — and what it really takes to move from “busy” to effective. With her signature mix of humor, honesty, and hard truths, Ana shares the mindset shifts and practical strategies that helped her go from burnout to building an eight-figure business in just eight years.
You’ll learn:
- Why saying “I don’t have time” is a mindset problem, not a scheduling one
- The eight productivity principles that will help you reclaim your focus and energy
- How to replace endless to-do lists with intentional, high-impact action
- The difference between delegation and leverage — and why it’s a leadership skill
- How to honor your time, protect your energy, and lead yourself like a CEO
If you’re tired of being busy but not getting results, this episode will help you cut the noise, lead with clarity, and finally create momentum toward the business and life you actually want.
👉 Follow QueenMode Podcast and share this episode with a woman who’s ready to stop running on empty and start running her empire.
Learn more at dranacastilla.com or connect on Instagram @queenmodepodcast.
Transcript
When you constantly say, I don't have time, it's not just a description of your schedule.
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:It's a description of your relationship with time.
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:And it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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:That's not time management.
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:That's mindset sabotage.
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:What's up, queen?
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:I'm Dr.
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:Ana Castilla, orthodontist, author, speaker, unapologetic dream chaser, and yes, I took my
business from flatlining
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:to an eight figure exit in just eight years.
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:But spoiler alert, I didn't play it safe.
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:I broke rules, I made bold moves, and I became the woman my younger self was waiting for.
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:Queen Mode is your weekly dose of fear strategy, unfiltered truth, and mindset shifts that
will have you leading, growing, and living like the powerhouse you are without burning out
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:or selling out.
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:So.
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:If you're done playing small and you're ready to rise, welcome home.
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:So, we all want to be productive and get stuff done.
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:And yet, it seems like many of us are always behind or running out of time.
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:There's like so much to do and not enough hours in the day, right?
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:Or wrong?
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:Maybe we just don't know how to manage our time.
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:After all, nobody teaches this in school.
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:I know I didn't learn it.
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:But it is the number one thing that I see keeping people from living their best lives.
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:This is especially true for women, since we are often socially trained to please and be
agreeable and say yes to everyone and everything first.
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:Let's face it, ladies, we are notorious for putting ourselves dead last.
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:So yes, productivity is about time management, and unfortunately, many of us learn to
manage money
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:but never learn to master our time.
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:And time is so much more valuable.
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:It is the only thing we can never get back once we spend it.
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:But let's talk about your time.
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:I know there are always a million things pulling your attention every day.
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:Emails, social media, TV, your kids, your mother, that employee that keeps asking for a
raise when they've only been working at your business for four months.
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:Now I'm not saying all those things are not important.
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:They are.
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:But there is a better way.
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:There is a better way than just reacting to everything that is coming at you.
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:And that way is self-leadership.
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:And self-leadership means taking responsibility for your life and putting yourself first.
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:Because ultimately, if you don't take responsibility for your own life, who will?
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:Absolutely no one.
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:It's your life.
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:No one asks you to take responsibility for their life.
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:So how do we do it?
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:How do we manage time and kick our productivity into high gear so that we can make the
things we want happen?
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:I have a list for you.
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:Here are the eight things you need to do in your life to stop wasting time and become a
productivity queen in your life and in your business.
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:Number one, stop disrespecting time.
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:Here's something I need you to hear.
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:Your relationship with time is everything.
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:It is either fueling your goals or sabotaging them.
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:So if you have a bad relationship with time, you need to kiss and make up.
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:Every time you say, I don't have time, you're not just describing your schedule, you're
affirming a belief and a scarcity mindset.
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:And the more you say it, the more your life starts to align with that belief.
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:Before you know it, the phrase becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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:And as quoted on one of my favorite water bottles, you have the same hours in the day as
Beyonce.
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:You do.
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:So don't fall into the victim mindset trap.
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:There is more than enough time.
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:You'll be amazed at how much time you will gain when you start valuing your time and stop
wasting it on things like the Bachelor show.
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:And I know some of you are thinking, well, I don't watch TV.
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:I don't do social media.
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:I don't waste time.
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:Great.
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:I'm glad you got those things out of the way.
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:But I bet there's something you're overlooking.
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:And that brings me to number two.
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:Number two, learn to control your emotions.
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:I bet most of you don't realize that the biggest time suck in your life is your negative
emotions.
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:If you're frustrated, you've lost your optimism.
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:If you are angry, you can't focus.
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:You have no clarity.
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:I know for me, one of the things that has wasted a lot of time is not being able to
control my emotions.
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:I'm not a psychologist, but believe me when I tell you that this is a game changer and if
you're not handling this part of your life, you are not only drained, you are wasting a
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:lot of time, even if you don't do social media.
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:It takes time to be miserable.
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:I have wasted more time in my life complaining about things I can't control.
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:or arguing with my husband about things of little consequence than almost anything else.
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:Bottom line, being unhappy and ungrateful is a time suck.
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:Number three, forget so-called good habits.
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:What you need is a good routine.
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:There is a difference.
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:A habit is a behavior done automatically with little conscious thought.
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:You know, like when someone has a habit of interrupting you.
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:or you have a habit of continuously looking at your watch when you get ready to go to
work.
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:It's like a tick.
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:It's unconscious and usually of little consequence.
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:A routine, on the other hand, is a series of actions performed with intention and
conscious effort, often in a specific order.
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:Now what do I mean?
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:I'm referring to things like a morning routine or an evening routine.
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:Effective people always have routines, especially morning ones.
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:An example would be to wake up every morning and in this order, meditate, write in your
gratitude journal, workout, and shower.
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:Another could be wake up, go for a walk, and call your mom.
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:The point is when we develop routines, we reduce decision-making fatigue, which by the way
is a real thing that affects your health and makes you ineffective.
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:The more decisions you have to think about and make, the more stress you introduce in your
life.
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:and the more time you waste.
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:Creating results, the results you want in your business and in your life requires time and
energy.
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:And when you don't have routines, you are wasting both every single day, trying to decide
what your day is gonna be about.
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:So decide what is critical in your life and create some routines around it.
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:Why?
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:So you don't waste time and energy thinking about it every day and can instead...
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:spend that time and that energy on your business goals.
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:It's simple.
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:You wake up, you work out.
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:You get ready for bed, you take your vitamins.
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:You're not thinking about it.
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:You're not spending time deliberating.
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:It's automatic, it's important, and it's efficient.
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:Number four, become a morning person.
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:Yes, I said it.
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:Look, I'm a recovering night owl as well, but becoming a morning person is a top
productivity hack.
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:Why?
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:Because the morning is the glory of the day.
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:You are rested, the sun is shining, the kids are asleep, the house is quiet.
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:Bottom line, the day hasn't happened yet, and this means no distractions.
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:No one's emergencies have come your ways.
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:No upset client has called the office.
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:Nothing.
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:And this leaves you with all the time in the world to get the important stuff done.
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:I always joke that by 9 a.m., half my day is over.
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:If something is important, it has to get done in the morning or it may not get done.
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:I mean, something may happen, right?
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:It's not sexy to be a morning person, but it's productive.
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:I used to be a night owl too.
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:But my business and my dreams showed me who's boss and that the real flex is in your
morning routine.
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:Honestly, I would never go back.
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:I will say though, that to make this happen, you do have to stick to a consistent sleep
schedule.
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:Again, routines.
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:You can't go to bed at midnight and get up at 5 a.m.
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:and think you're gonna take advantage of the morning.
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:That's just not gonna happen.
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:Next is number five.
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:Get clear on what you want, why you wanted, and by when.
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:I hate to be super Catholic right now, but this is like the holy trinity of time
management and productivity.
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:If you want to truly move the needle, you need to get radically clear about your outcomes,
like in full detail.
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:What do you want?
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:Do you want $100,000 in sales?
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:or a million dollars in sales.
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:Either one is fine, but I don't think I need to tell you that those are two very different
outcomes with two very different action plans.
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:So many people tell me they don't know what they want.
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:And I think that's crap.
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:I think we all know what we want, deep down.
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:The problem is we don't want to say it out loud, because if we say it out loud,
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:We just might be accountable for that result.
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:But perhaps more important than your outcome is why that outcome matters to you.
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:If you don't have a compelling reason behind your goals, you won't invest the energy to
make them happen.
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:It's not a discipline issue, it's a motivation issue.
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:As I always say, what is truly important
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:always gets done.
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:When you're clear on the why, you tap into a deeper well of energy and focus.
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:And as Tony Robbins says, you go from should to must.
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:When you're not clear, well, you drift.
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:And being busy starts to feel like a substitute for being effective.
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:Finally, you need a deadline.
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:Otherwise, it's just a dream, right?
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:Measurable outcomes with deadlines create focus.
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:Respect the deadline and make sure your actions reflect the deadline.
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:You may surprise yourself.
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:In 2016, I attended a conference called MKS, which is all about the business of
orthodontics.
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:And I went with my husband.
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:And at that time, I was still in the red in my business.
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:But I...
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:sat there listening to this orthodontist speak and he was super successful and I got
really inspired because in his talk he said that he starts a thousand new patients a year
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:working three days a week.
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:I'm like my god a thousand patients a year and you're only working three days a week that
is incredible and I was so inspired when he said this.
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:I thought this was so mind-boggling.
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:I hadn't even received a paycheck from my practice yet, so I couldn't even imagine what
that would be like or how on earth he was doing that.
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:But in that moment, something came over me, a desire perhaps to prove to myself that I was
no less than these orthodontists who went to school just like I did and who purchased a
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:practice just like I did.
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:So I leaned over to my husband and
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:I don't know what came over me, but I whispered in his ear, in five years, I will also
start 1,000 new patients working three days a week.
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:Well, I did it in three.
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:I can't tell you how often this happens.
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:And it happens because when you have a defined, compelling future, something that moves
your heart,
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:Time literally collapses.
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:Opportunities present themselves.
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:Insights come to you.
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:These opportunities are always there, but without the focus provided by a deadline or a
dream in your heart, you get distracted and you miss them.
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:Number six, create a detailed roadmap or action plan.
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:You need an action plan and your plan needs to be scheduled.
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:And of course, the schedule needs to be respected.
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:Here's the thing though, your action plan is not set in stone.
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:You need to revisit your action plan on a regular basis and adjust your action plan as
needed.
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:Remember those routines I was talking about?
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:Make sure you have a routine around your goals and the action plan needed to accomplish
them.
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:This should be a weekly check-in on the same day at the same time.
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:No decisions to make.
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:That's just when you do it.
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:Your outcomes will not happen with set it and forget it strategies.
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:You will need conscious leadership.
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:And here's a mindset shift that changed everything for me.
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:Just because you're responsible for the outcome doesn't mean you're the one that has to do
everything.
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:And that leads me to number seven, leverage.
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:Leverage is leadership.
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:There is nothing noble about doing it all yourself, especially when it means sacrificing
your health or your time with your family.
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:I'm not talking about like simple delegation.
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:Everybody talks about delegation, but delegation is not leverage.
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:Delegation is giving someone a task and hoping it gets done.
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:You can't just assign something to someone and then you just walk away.
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:That's not what leverage is.
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:Leverage is assigning a task, owning the result.
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:You still own the result.
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:You guide as needed, and then you ensure that the person has what they need to succeed.
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:That's why I say that leverage is leadership.
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:When I have something that needs to get done, my first question in my mind is always, who
can do it for me?
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:Or what can do it for me?
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:And I say what because it's not always people.
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:You can leverage technology too.
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:In my practice, every process is detailed out in the open for team members to easily see
and discuss on a project management software with built-in automations.
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:to send out emails and organize data about processes in the office.
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:And with AI now, the sky is the limit.
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:It's not laziness, it's wisdom.
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:It's acknowledging that your time and energy are precious resources.
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:And here's the beautiful thing.
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:When you empower others by trusting them with meaningful tasks, you're also giving them
the opportunity to grow.
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:And on that note, I cannot say this enough.
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:The moment you can afford it,
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:Please get yourself an executive or personal assistant.
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:I have an executive assistant and people make fun of me all the time about it, but I don't
care.
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:Jokes on them because I will fall apart without this lady.
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:Seriously, if I need an urgent phone call to be made, there she is.
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:An email, done.
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:Something classified that needs to be scanned and filed, she's on it.
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:These amazing people are an investment that pays for itself over and over again.
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:Same thing goes for cleaning ladies or groundskeepers for your house.
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:Don't feel like you have to do everything.
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:You can't.
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:You should only be doing the important things.
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:Free your time to focus on the things that really matter.
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:And any way that you can do that is worth every penny.
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:Number eight, health is wealth.
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:Ladies, I said before, it is all about energy.
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:If you are tired or sick or even stressed out, everything you do will take longer and it
also won't be done as well.
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:I cleaned up my bad health habits super quick when I realized I needed to be a life
athlete to accomplish some of the things I wanted to accomplish.
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:Stay hydrated.
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:Don't skip your annual checkups.
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:Do the supplement thing, workout.
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:All of these things will keep you healthy and give you the energy needed to do things
quickly and efficiently.
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:And there you have it.
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:The eight things that will help you master time so you can focus on your goals.
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:But there is one thing that I want to warn you about.
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:And this is nothing but a productivity trap.
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:You ready?
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:I'm talking about the to-do list.
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:To-do lists can be dangerous.
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:Why?
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:Because they give you a false sense of accomplishment.
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:You check boxes, you cross things off, you feel well productive.
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:But you're feeling productive because you're busy.
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:But busy doesn't mean effective and it definitely does not mean productive.
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:You could be busy working on all the wrong things and working on things that don't do a
single thing to get you towards your goals or to get your business to the next level.
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:So here's what I want you to focus on instead.
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:What actions actually create momentum toward your outcomes?
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:Not all actions are created equal.
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:So it's important to be able to discern and assign priority to all the tasks on your plan
of action.
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:What will truly move the needle?
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:That's where your focus goes.
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:Other things can either wait, really they can, or be assigned to someone else.
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:Unfortunately, being busy has become some kind of a badge of honor in entrepreneurship.
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:I've been guilty of this myself.
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:But busyness is not a business strategy, and we certainly shouldn't be proud of it.
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:The only thing that should be celebrated is results.
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:You don't get points for being overwhelmed.
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:You get freedom by being focused and effective.
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:If you take just one thing from today's episode, let it be this.
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:Your time is not something to be managed.
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:It's something to be honored.
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:Your dreams are worthy of focused energy, bold routines, and unapologetic clarity.
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:You don't need to be busy.
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:You need to be effective.
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:And effectiveness starts with deciding what really matters and then showing up for it like
the leader you are.
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:Thanks for tuning in Queen.
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:I hope today's episode gave you the clarity, courage, or confidence boost you needed.
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:Because building a powerful business starts with believing in you.
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:If you loved what you heard, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.
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:And if this podcast moved you, inspired you, or made you think, share it with another
powerhouse woman who needs to hear it.
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:Your reviews and shares help more Queens rise.
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:If you want more tools, resources, or just want to connect, head to drannikastilla.com or
find me on Instagram at Queen Mode Podcast.
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:Keep showing up, keep leading boldly, and remember, you were born to rain.
