Latest / Wealthy Woman Lawyer Podcast, Helping you create a profitable, sustainable law firm you love / 180: Dominika Fasolo | How to Improve Productivity
Transcript
- InterviewDominikaFasolo === Davina: [00:00:00] Hi everyone and welcome to the Wealthy Woman Lawyer Podcast. I'm your host, Davina Frederick, and I'm here today with DOA Olo, who is a former lawyer turn productivity coach. And I'm super excited to have her here today because now she helps other women, high achieving women, um, business owners, improve their productivity and really get real with themselves about how they're spending their time. Davina: And so we're gonna get some good insight and tips from her today. If you've been struggling with managing your time, you think time management is a big issue for you. You're gonna want to tune in this episode 'cause Dominika is gonna gonna set us straight. She's gonna help us. So welcome. Im so happy you're here. Dominlka: Thank you so much, Davina. I'm so excited to be here. It's a pleasure. Davina: Good, good, good. So tell us now how. How long, when did you enter the law? Did you work for [00:01:00] yourself? Were you working for somebody else? How long were you a lawyer? Tell us a little bit about your life as a lawyer. Dominlka: Absolutely. So I've actually always wanted to be a lawyer. Dominlka: I remember the first assignment we had in. Self and when the other kids wanted to be princesses and dragons and firefighters, I was drawing myself in a suite and in a or corner office being a lawyer solving cases. I was, you know, heavily inspired by I think Ellie McBeal. And so there's do, so when other kids were. Dominlka: Struggling through high school thinking, being confused about what they wanna do. I was studying and working very hard to get to law school and then work through the university and already at the university I was training with top terror law firm in Slovakia, where I'm originally from. And so I was really on the right track to be, you know, lawyer and at the end of. Dominlka: Diversity. I think the first start, first doubt started to creep in. I [00:02:00] started to really question when I saw a huge law firm, how it functions, whether this is actually really right for me because it was not as glamorous as on tv and it was not as noble as, uh, as it was at a university. And, uh, my parents were always entrepreneurs, so in my mind, being a lawyer was having my own practice, but I started to question, am I actually gonna last that long in this environment for me to build the experience, the brand, the confidence to launch my own practice? Dominlka: And then if I actually do launch my own practice, am I going to like this? This is this what I really want? I saw the partners working long hours. I saw how they didn't have personal life. I saw the toxic environment between us and I started to feel like. I am more than just the hours I bill, I am more than just the clients I have and more than just the cases or the contracts I'm working on. Dominlka: So I started to really question what I really wanna do. So after university to a huge surprise of my entire family and everybody who knew me, like very, you know, dedicated, [00:03:00] uh, future lawyer. I decided to take another master in internet law and policy. 'cause I was very interested in technology. My dad had. Dominlka: At it firms. So I was always kind of helping him with his contracts, with his season seasons and licenses. And so I really saw an opportunity in that niche. And I really niche down on intellectual property intersection with technology, privacy, uh, digital platforms. And I felt like I will have a very good competitive advantage to older lawyers who were not really understanding that landscape. Dominlka: That was the best choice I did because it really opened up a lot of opportunities and all of a sudden I wasn't really limited to the Slovak law firm, the old school way of doing law. I was working in Asia for Asian law firm in Bangkok. I was working for the European Commission, which is the government of the eu, and then I was working through for various very digital or oriented, very progressed. Dominlka: In Europe. So I, I really started to, to my career started to pick up and I [00:04:00] started to really like it again. I really was determined to achieve and to to grow my career, and that's the point where I got to work for the biggest telecommunication operator in Europe. I was working for their digital. The agenda and I completely loved it. Dominlka: And that was the time I got an opportunity to work for one very ambitious tech startup. And I would say that was the beginning of the end of the career for me. Davina: So, so it was the beginning of the end. How long did, were you, did you practice from start to finish do you think? Dominlka: Um, do you remember? Um, over a decade? Dominlka: This was over a decade. Davina: Okay. I started, so you were in this, you were in this for a while. You were trying to make this work. You were trying to find. The areas of practice you could be excited about. And then here you went with the startup. So what happened? Did the startup. Dominlka: Yeah. Davina: Trying to a halt. Dominlka: It was, it was very ambitious tech startup that I, when I joined, it was the best place to work at. Dominlka: The best place I've ever [00:05:00] worked. It was, we were a team of 50, the legal team was just three people. We were dealing with majority of the legal issues in-house. Uh, we were in very close proximity to the co-founders, so we also learned a lot about the business and the culture was just amazing. We were all very young people. Dominlka: I think I was the oldest and I was. Around 30. So it was just very, very young environment, very uh, high-paced environment. But I didn't mind, I didn't have family, I didn't have any, anything else to do. Just work basically. And, uh, we had, like I said, fantastic culture, but what happened is that with this amazing culture, with that ambition, with that drive. Dominlka: That startup really took off and it turned in a span of maybe a year since I joined. Yeah, it was around a year, uh, into a unicorn, $1 billion company. We got publicly listed in NASDAQ and we were $1 billion company, and the game changed. The problem was that while financially the company was doing so well. Dominlka: It did not grow operationally. And I, I think the legal team was really the bumper for that because the processes were not in place, the [00:06:00] operations were not in place. We were expanding, uh, in terms of territory, in terms of customer base, but we just didn't have resources and processes to really cater for it legally. Dominlka: And we were dealing also with compliance. And this was 2017 when also, I don't know if you're aware of. The compliance landscape in the eu, but it was when the A ML directive kicked in when the GDPR preparation started for 2018. So there was just so much to do. And I remember we were running around four or five acquisitions in parallel and most of the due diligence was down in-house. Dominlka: So I remember every Friday evening, the COO who, what we were reporting to, would enter our office and he was like, clear your schedule for the weekend. This is a big project you, Davina: ah. Dominlka: Very young, very excited to help. 'cause we were really thinking we are building something, and this was about one or two years, but towards the end of that process, when we came from 50 to 550 employees, from one company to 27 companies, a huge [00:07:00] group, public listed investors, shareholders, a lot of changes. Dominlka: I started to be more and more burnout at that point. My work, my life was just work really. It was just work. I woke up in the morning, often crying, and I felt like I was sad. 13 hours and it's pat back to my bed where I was crying myself to sleep. I then, my family and parents told me that it would take me three months to reply to a WhatsApp message. Dominlka: I was not having any social life. My husband was really worried about me. Obviously we had a lot of fights because of this, because that's not how he envisaged our relationship to go. But it was like an addiction. It was, I was in this. This whole black hole I couldn't get out of. But I was aware and I was trying different things. Dominlka: I was hiring coaches, therapy courses, I was reading books, but nothing was really helping and it really felt like just black and white. So either you are more productive, so you have the productivity tools, you have more focus, more discipline, you know, the hassle culture angle. Mm-hmm. And the other side was [00:08:00] the also toxic self-care angle. Dominlka: Get a manicure, just throw your computer out a window. Just take a break. I have a ending to-do list. There's like a conveyor belt. The worst thing you can do is just close your computer and run away because it's like a snowball, right? So I felt like I don't wanna choose between career and personal life. Dominlka: I wanna integrate them. So I was looking for work life balance, work life balance. It was like this obsession that I had and I wasn't really able to find solution and. Davina: I wanna ask before we get too far from it, I think it's something very interesting that you said that this also this other toxic self-care culture. Davina: Yeah, I, I, I love that you mentioned that and then you put it that way. I think that there's so much, you know, in all the social media, people throw up self-care, self-care, and they'll say they're doing something for themselves and they'll call it self-care, but the kinds of things that people are doing for self-care aren't really self-care. Davina: They're really, if you're talking about, you know, I'm shopping [00:09:00] self-care, or I'm getting a man, a manicure of self-care and, uh, or, you know, just any number of things that they say they're doing, accomplishments or achievements, uh, having photos taken of themselves, self-care. And I think there is a, a toxicity around that sort of. Davina: Concept and there's this idea, and there's also this sort of ideal perfection around work-life balance. You know, like everything's gonna be in balance at all times. So I think it's interesting that you mention that because true self-care is therapy. It's taking lots of time for yourself. I mean, there's a whole lot of things that are self-care. Davina: Where you're really getting the mental space to be who you truly are, authentically without always being, you know, this hamster on a wheel kind of thing. So I'm glad that you brought up that sort of dichotomy because I think a lot of people don't really think of it that way. Um, so you, at that point then you'd been working for this company, you're going, going, going, where was [00:10:00] your breaking point? Davina: What was your breaking point where you said, I cannot do this anymore? Dominlka: Yeah, I remember it very vividly. I think there were so many red flags, and I think the first breaking point was maybe a year prior to actual breaking point. Uh, but as I said, I was trying to find the solution. But what the, the result of these two, this dichotomy between hustle culture and the toxic self care culture, the bandaid, really the instant gratification and that. Dominlka: Social media hype instead of really finding, like you said, a solution for therapy through help, through prioritizing yourself and for the long run. And we can then maybe expand on it later, but for the purpose of this, uh, I was getting more and more burnout and it became, I had, there was a lot of tension between me and the management of the company. Dominlka: 'cause they were obviously not happy about me being constantly cranky and hysterical and they felt like I was drama queen and I wasn't really able to articulate. Guys, I need help. Like I'm really having, the workload is impossible and I'm growing my team. I have 25 people under me. It's just impossible for one person to [00:11:00] juggle all of that. Dominlka: And then there was a tension between me and my team. 'cause they saw me as not being a good leader, being always stressed, being, you know, uh, perfection is always having high standard, never giving them break because that's how I was treating myself. And I treat my team the same way. So it was very, a very difficult period of time. Dominlka: And in that moment, I became pregnant. And I was having quite difficult pregnancy with a lot of morning sicknesses, but that didn't stop me from working. I don't wanna go into like more, too much visual, but I was literally throwing up between the meetings or during the meetings running to the toilet, coming back and, and it was like the pregnancy wasn't really. Dominlka: A red flag or wasn't stopping me until one point, I think it was very heavily pregnant at that time. I think it was around eight months pregnant. And I remember fighting myself crying on a bathroom floor at 1:00 AM in the night working by myself. This was October, so my daughter was born in December and it was, I remember the gusty wind and the rain and the little light in the office [00:12:00] blinking. Dominlka: And that's when I'm like. What are you doing here, Dominica? What is this? Which purpose is this serving? You're harming yourself for so long, you're harming your relationship and now also your unborn daughter. And that was the moment I realized that things will have to change. And it was a process. It wasn't as if next day I would walk in the office and hand my notice, but that was the moment when I decided that. Dominlka: It's time for me to prioritize myself, and it is time for me to stand up for myself and get the confidence to set the boundary. So, uh, from that moment on, I started to treat my work differently. I went, uh, for the maternity leave a little bit earlier. In Europe, we have longer maternity than in us, so I took six months off, I think combined with. Dominlka: My free, my holidays and some unpaid leave as well that I was entitled to. And really the whole maternity leave was a healing process. That was the transformation for me. Davina: Wow. Wow. I can't even imagine being, you know, eight months pregnant and [00:13:00] you're sitting on a floor working at work while this is, and you just, you just say, I can't do this anymore. Davina: Um, what, so what kinds of things did you do over your maternity leave? That became kind of a healing process for you other than not work. I'm assuming you didn't work, right? You were busy working as a mom, working, taking care of the baby and all of that. What kind of work did you do internally to sort of help yourself heal from that experience? Dominlka: Yeah. Um, the most important part of this was really being distant from work and, and creating some space between me and work. I think when you shift your perspective, even by time or or location or place or things that you do, you really start to see things differently. And it was, I, I started to wake up from this nightmare it the two years prior where like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. Dominlka: And when I was. Walking with my daughter, sleeping [00:14:00] in her pram in the morning, let's say on Monday. I remember thinking to myself, there's a daylight and there are people around. What are they doing? Why didn't think? Why aren't they at work? I was shocked because I haven't seen daylight for so long. I was in the office all the time, so wow. Dominlka: Really only just by being with myself and by myself outside on a fresh air and seeing daylight has been such a healing process. And, uh, I know, and this is not sort of a discounting anything that new moms need to go through because the newborn phase is very difficult and very challenging, but if I'm honest, it has been the most relaxing and peaceful period I've had in years. Dominlka: And this is with a newborn, with moving to a new house and not having any help. Still, I was getting more sleep, was. Finally cooking home homemade meals. I was walking, and for me, the biggest healing process occurred during those walks with my daughter. I would put her in a prom and we would walk two hours by the sea. Dominlka: We were living in Malta, which is an island, and the, the fresh air, the sun [00:15:00] was, was really therapeutic. And what also, and this is very funny, I would listen to the cheesiest YouTube motivational videos. That, you know, those compilation of speeches that you just listen every once in a while when you're really down and wanna have the instant boost of motivation. Dominlka: I was listening to those and I remember what really helped me was shift of the perspective, not just by time and location, being distant from work, but also started to understand that. I can't prioritize myself. For me, all the problems with my workaholism, with my, uh, burnout, were really connected to my confidence in myself and the ability to set the boundary for myself and the ability to see my value and my worth, and being able to articulate that and being able to really. Dominlka: Decide what is the right for me or not, because before I let everybody else dictate that, I let my boss dictate it. I let the CEO dictate it, and all those deadlines were set by them. And my work and my whole life was basically depend on how they decided that it will look like. And for the [00:16:00] first time in my life, I was really in charge and I really took back the control. Dominlka: So I think it was not just one thing, obviously that. Contributed to the healing. It was the time that I had for myself. It was, it was the, the therapy of just being outside and seeing totally different areas of life that I was neglecting for so long, and it was also building the confidence through understanding that I'm in charge and I can take control of my life. Dominlka: This goes also back to what you said at the beginning, the choices. The time management is really all about our choices and our confidence in those choices. So it was these three things combined that really propelled that change. And when I go back to office after maternity leave, it was very different. Davina: Yeah. Yeah. So I, and I think you mentioned some important points there too, thi things that people don't think of. True self care is eating healthy foods, getting ample sleep. Getting out in nature every day and walking and, and taking that time for yourself. And then prior, you know, all of that indicates that you're prioritizing [00:17:00] your own health and your own needs, your body, your mind, your mental space. Davina: You were filling your mental, uh, space with positive thoughts as you were going through this. So, so I, that truly is true self care. And so I love that and I like that it was all, it was all kind of wrapped into caring with your daughter as caring for your daughter as well because. I do know that there are, you know, uh, women who, when they have children, they're pulled in the, and not taking care of themselves. Davina: And so it sounds like this was a really beautiful time for you to Yeah. To be able to do that. 'cause you were coming from this nightmare experience. So did you, you went back to work for the same company or did you immediately decide, I'm never going back there. What happened? Dominlka: I went back. Uh, I went back, but like I said, it was very different before I got back. Dominlka: I really started to plan how I'm gonna run my days and how it's gonna look like. And we are quite lucky in Europe that the maternity leaves are quite long. So I [00:18:00] think I got back full-time back to the office when my daughter was 10 months already. So she had her nanny, everything was set. My husband works from home, so he was able to help out with. Dominlka: And so I was ready to go back to the office, but um, before I got back to the office, I had a lot of discussions with my boss and with the hr, and I made it very clear that things will need to change. So I changed my title. I had a smaller build, smaller team. I think we hired four people to cover what I was doing. Dominlka: Um. Finally I started to feel like I'm managing the workload, not the workload is managing me. And that was obvious because I had a daughter, so I couldn't just spend 13 hours, spend 13 hours at work. I had to go back home to her. Obviously as a mother, uh, the priorities were, I was well all a sudden. And, uh, it was great From that perspective, I was building a new team. Dominlka: I was really focusing on leadership. I was improving as a leader. Something that I was really lacking at the beginning when I told you when I was burnout and. So the workload was sorted, [00:19:00] but I still felt uninspired. I still felt hurt. I think I was still not completely healed, and the company brought so many negative memories for me, uh, and I felt. Dominlka: I can't really lean in anymore, and it was not the workload. And I started to realize it's the work. And, uh, I would still be doing law and I would still be happy about it as a job, but I wanted more. I knew it wasn't a craft. I, I knew it wasn't my mission to be a lawyer anymore. And I really started to like the leadership. Dominlka: I started to like to work with my team. I already made a couple of coaching certification. I was working on another. I was coaching on a background because this is what really helped me, uh, to transform. And I started to be very interested in how can I bring it to the company. And then when it worked with my team, I was thinking, how can I bring it to other people? Dominlka: And is this something that I could actually be working on? Could, could this be my business? And, uh, so I didn't have enough of my notice immediately. It was a process, and quite frankly, it was very calculated. I started to work on a business plan. I started to lay foundation [00:20:00] for my new companies. For my business. Dominlka: I'm not having just coaching business. I also have really estate in crypto business. So I started to generate cashflow, start to generate money that could support me after I quit my legal career. And this transition took, I think around six months. So it was a process. Davina: So your, what did it feel like? Davina: Because I, I know that a lot of lawyers I interview who leave the law and they start other businesses, go through kind of an identity crisis because we're sort of taught that our identity is lawyer. 'cause there's a lot of prestige that comes with it and you know, so what did it feel like to make the choice to say, I'm going to leave the law and go. Davina: Call myself, you know, now a productivity coach, which is very different from being a lawyer. So did you go through any sort of internal, uh, battle over that? Dominlka: A hundred percent. And I'm so happy you asked this question because this [00:21:00] was the, the process was easy from the colleague perspective, from the purpose perspective. Dominlka: I love what I do and the difference between coaching and law is that I'll never drop the contract for free for you, but I'll coach you for free, quite, quite frankly. And uh, the problem was really the ego part. Don't Davina: do Dominlka: that. Davina: Don't coach for free. No. Dominlka: Oh no, I don't do it now. I'm too busy with that. But. The point really is that I loved it and the law was just the job and that was the difference. Davina: Right. Okay. Dominlka: It was easy. But from, like you said, the identity crisis, it was very difficult because for me, I had a lot of ego attached to being a lawyer. When you say, when you meet somebody and you say you're a lawyer, people are like, oh, wow. What do you do? What company you work for? Who are your clients? Dominlka: And all of a sudden when you say. I'm an online productivity coach. People are like, okay. It's very different reaction. It was very difficult for me because I totally didn't expect it and it, it was one of the things that was hindering [00:22:00] me from launching sooner and leaning in fully. Uh, for a long time people just really didn't know what I was doing. Dominlka: I was. Not ashamed, uh, to say that I'm a, a productivity coach, but I was really considering how am I gonna structure and position myself in a way that, uh, o obviously I'm not gonna get the legal status of a lawyer instantly, but how can I kind of get close to it? So instead of letting that blocking me, I really lean in fully in that fear and in that. Dominlka: That status and identity issue, and that's why I've created my coaching business a bit differently than other coaches. I'm not just solo coach trying to coach everybody, cold emailing my list and my friends. I'm really building a fully fledged coaching company where I focus on corporate coaching. I focus on, uh, personal productivity coaching. Dominlka: I'm working on courses. Uh. I'm building a social media presence. So I really look at it more as I'm the CEO of that company and I'm really embodying that role instead of just being a solo printer coach, [00:23:00] trying to get clients for three, three package, uh, three, three session packages. So it was really that fear, and it was really that concern that I had around the identity and around that status that allowed me to completely differently approach the coaching business and really build a coaching company instead of just. Dominlka: Coaching online practice. And it still is not easy, but I would say I feel way more confident right now seeing my clients, the type of clients I've worked with, having speaking engagements, growing my social media presence. Um, but it has been a process, Davina: obviously. Right, right, right, right. And it's, it's really shifting, and I'm sure your parents being entrepreneurs really helped you too because you, uh, you have that sort of. Davina: CEO kind of thinking that entrepreneurial type thinking where I'm not going, I'm not going to just do this freelance, I'm going to create a business around it. So immediately that becomes a different kind of project. And you said you have three businesses, so um, did you kind of start all of them at the same time, or [00:24:00] did you start this and then sort of bring on the others or how did that go? Dominlka: Yeah, so initially I started my real estate business, um, as a lawyer, obviously I made a lot of money and I had no time to spend it. So I've accumulated some capital and during, I think this was already when I, uh, was on my maternity leave, I purchased capital properties and I started, uh, short-term rentals and Airbnb rental. Dominlka: The issue. So this was the first business that I started and it was doing very well. I also started a Airbnb management company. Again, we were living in Malta, so it's a beautiful destination. It has wonderful weather, 300 days a year of sun. So, uh, we had like a lot of tourists. So it was a great, great market to, to lean to. Dominlka: And since my husband's also entrepreneur and he was working from home, we were managing to do it while I was. Having a baby and while I was also still full-time working, the problem really started in March, 2020, which was actually the last day of my, uh, of my full-time job when the lockdown started, and this was [00:25:00] the first day I was launching my Airbnb management company. Dominlka: So it basically failed on the first day. Davina: Right, right. Because everybody knows what happened in March, 2020, the pandemic. Dominlka: Of course, so obviously most of our landlord that we had pulled out, they didn't wanna do short lets, 'cause nobody knew what was going to happen with our own properties. We managed to rent somehow quarantine people or then during summer it picked up a little bit more and, but it was very difficult to leave the legal career, prepare for six months to launch this business. Dominlka: Obviously have all the calculation, all the financials, and have a huge investment upfront into this property. Uh, shifting them or, or switching them, flipping them from old houses into beautiful Airbnbs and then all of a sudden it's March, 2020 and you can't do anything as something nobody could, you know, prepare for. Dominlka: Right. This is a Davina: black, a black swan event. It's totally a Black swan event. Nobody would know. Nobody even was, had their eye on that as something that would happen. Changed everybody's lives. [00:26:00] So where did you go from there? Dominlka: Yeah, I, I think I just put on my bathrobe and for three days I was roll, rolling around crying, to be honest. Davina: Yeah. Dominlka: And after those three days, I put my big girl pants on and we did a lot of risk management with my husband. I love risk management. I was working also in compliance a lot. So we just really sat down and write everything down. Our expenses, our income, how can we ship, how can we go long-term rentals. Dominlka: So we, uh, there was also, I don't know how it was in the US but in EU we had a lot of, uh, banks helping with, um. Not charging you mortgage fees for a certain period of time. So we applied for every single state aid we could get. We applied for, for this, uh, benefits from the, from the bank. So we really optimized our cash flow and optimize our operations so we could survive. Dominlka: Obviously, we also had savings. So this is where I think it's so important, uh, that part of the planning and preparation for everything. When you're thinking of shifting the career, and there's also, uh, what you're mentioning about the social media, where being your [00:27:00] own boss and, and. Starting your passion business seems so easy, but it is not, and you have to be very smart and very intentional about how you're going to be going through that transition because these things happen. Dominlka: So we survived the first year and then slowly started to pick up. Malta was not on a very heavy lockdown, so we still had some traction and some movements. We completely dropped the Airbnb management company because it was just not viable. But we continued with our own, um, own properties and then we leaned in in crypto and then in parallel, I started to coach. Dominlka: And I started to coach exactly like I said at the beginning, it's a small. Solopreneur coach, uh, taking on some clients here and there. Uh, but it wasn't until basically this year or the end of last year, end of 2021 when I decided I'm gonna really launch it and shift it into a coaching company and run it like a business with a collaborators, with a vision, with long-term plan instead of just doing coaching. Davina: Right, right. And, and, and I think that's very common to sort of start out that way, where you got, you get it. Dip your toe in the water, get the [00:28:00] experience, get the success stories, and also find out if that's really what you wanna do as well. Anytime you're starting something new like that. So I think that's a, that's a common sort of approach and, and journey, but then you made the big decision to go all in on it. Davina: So I wanna make sure before we run out of time, that we do, um, help help our women law firm owner audience with some, uh, productivity hacks or tips and little things that we might be able to share with them, but. Tell me, uh, so this, you really learned how to manage your time more effectively when you went back to work and you started saying, okay, I have a different priority now, so I'm not staying here 13, 14 hours a day. Davina: So what kinds of things did you, uh, were you, were you listening to, were you reading a lot of books, listening to a lot of podcasts, and did you have coaching or something or was it through your coaching certification that you sort of learned? Some of these way, you know, ways to, um, [00:29:00] be more productive. I mean, I know when I started my coaching business, I had invested a lot in coaching and I learned a lot. Davina: And so I was able to take what I was learning kind of from other industries and bring it to the legal industry because it impacted my life, changed my life, and I'm like, I gotta share this. So what was your experience in Yeah. How did you sort of gain that knowledge? Dominlka: It wasn't a single thing. It's like when you ask, oh, can you draft me? Dominlka: What is the one thing I need for Ts and Cs? What is the one thing I need for privacy policies? The catalog of clause is a catalog of things, so this was really me picking and testing and trying what works, what doesn't. I did. Initially it was, it was hit and miss. There were many coaches that were really not helping me and really pushing me one direction. Dominlka: So, uh, really the productivity transformation, I think, started when I was at the, at the university because I was very productive. I was mastering the deep focus, mastering the planning, the stuff done. I never missed the [00:30:00] deadline. Non-negotiable was not even in my sphere of understanding of time. So I was very productive, so I was always managing or always crashing in on a productivity end, but then it was burning me out because there was new. Dominlka: I don't mean this fluffy work life balance that we're trying to achieve and nobody's ever able to do it. But I mean more a rhythm of creating a productive time when you, when you push yourself and you do the job and then when you have time to rejuvenate and rest and relax and reset your mind in order to be more productive but also more fulfilled. Dominlka: So that was the second part that I started to tap into while I was on maternity leave. And there were various books or courses, but, and was also my own, uh, my own coaching and my own certification and experience that I had. When I realized that there has to be an antidote to that push, there has to be also the time of rest, and what really helped me. Dominlka: This is also the core of what I always teach my clients and I work home with my clients was routines and rituals. So before I went to [00:31:00] work, back to work, I think I also mentioned I really was very intentional about the schedule. So I really look at my calendar back then and I look into, so what I'm gonna do in the morning, what I'm gonna do in the afternoon, what I'm gonna do during my lunch break. Dominlka: And I was very committed and, and very consistent in putting these rituals. And there were routine together. And this is when it really shifted for me because. All of a sudden the self-care, which was once in a while, manicure, which quite frankly was just freaking me out and was stressing me out because all of a sudden during run to the salon, get the manic. Dominlka: You listen all the chatter, you're, you are checking your phone, you already have a meeting, you need to postpone, then you run back. It was not self-care at all. And I started to realize I, you can relate, right? Davina: I do. I do. I I'm not, I'm not crazy about pedicures for the same reason. It's like, it's just, it's kind of like a, a hassle a little bit to have somebody else do a pedicure. Davina: So. Dominlka: So it wasn't really that, but I realized that self-care is not just what you [00:32:00] do once in a while. It's really prioritizing yourself, scheduling it, and actually following up with a schedule. For me, I went from just bringing gym clothes every day to work and never actually used that bag and never actually going to gym. Dominlka: To really creating a morning ritual of workout. I look into, and this is really a process that I go through also with my clients, where we look into what you really wanna achieve, what actions you need to take towards that achievement. And once you have that clarified, then you're gonna look at your schedule and your schedule it. Dominlka: Where is the most convenient time for you? So IWI knew that my breaking point was the afternoon, that I couldn't always finish on time or there was always some emergency. So I knew that if I schedule my gym, for instance in the afternoon, I'll never go. So that's why I woke up earlier and I went in the morning. Dominlka: So it was really the process of creating these rituals that were, uh, there were tie into my priorities. And at that time my priorities was myself. And Davina: and you're also your sort of natural rhythms, right? Like what it, what was, like you were saying, what works for you. If you [00:33:00] were looking at really what worked for you as opposed to what might work for other people. Dominlka: Yeah, so basically that's when I combine the productivity teachings. Understanding that obviously when you work full time when you're a mom, you have only very limited of free time. That's just a reality, right? You can, you can't change that. You're eight hours at work, God forbid. You have two hour commute, so you're left with this little time for yourself, for your family, for everything else. Dominlka: So you wanna make sure that the time you're spending at work, it's very well spent. Making sure that when you're at work, you're at work, and then when you're home, you're home. When you are in a gym, you're in a gym, so you really need to compartmentalize all these, all these areas, and that's when the routines and the creation of those routines or systems of habits. Dominlka: Came in handy. So I applied the productivity with the routines and it created kind of the system. My problem back then was that I wasn't inspired by my work, so then I realized that something else is [00:34:00] missing, and that was the priority, the, the focus of what I actually wanna achieve in my life. That was really about that healing process when I started to think about what is my vision now? Dominlka: I've always wanted to be a lawyer, now I'm a lawyer, and who am I now and what I really wanna do. So this is really how I teach productivity my clients. And what could help is to understand what is really your vision for your life? Getting very clear on your goals. Is it a scale? Scale a business? Is it to build it? Dominlka: Is it to have a side hustle? Is it to focus more on your family? There are different seasons that we go through in life and you have to make sure that your system and your time management strategy ties into that vision, ties into those goals or intentions, whatever you want to call it, and then you really maximize your productivity when we can also talk about those tips, um, to make sure that when you're working, you really are working and getting the most done, so then you're not limiting the time you already have. Dominlka: Fixed for yourself or for your family. So then use that wisely and focus more on quality rather than quantity. Davina: Right? So I think it's really important to, the first thing is really get [00:35:00] clear is what I'm always telling people. It's never a time management problem, it's a priority management problem. Are you working in your areas that you say are important to you? Davina: Is if it's, if you say it's important to you, then that's. But then your actions don't follow that. Then you really have to look at whether or not it's really that important to you. Right? And I think there's some people too that may have a why, you know, this is why this is important to me. And they're not in touch with that. Davina: Why they're not in touch with, you know, I, I want to have a, I use a million example of a million dollar law firm. I wanna have a million dollar law firm. Well, why? What is your why? What are you gonna do? How much personal income do you want out of that? What are you gonna do with that personal income? Why is it important for you to have that personal income? Davina: So it is all around this establishing of your priorities, and once you're really clear on your why you're doing it, what you're, and then you get clear on your priorities, then it's much easier to sort of follow some of these systems. We're gonna have to wrap up soon, but I have a question for you that I wanna throw out to you because I had a client recently, [00:36:00] uh. Davina: Ask me something or, or kind of tell me about this issue she had in terms of time management, and I wanna hear what you have to say since this is just kind of your area of expertise. Right? So she said that, you know, I'll put things on my calendar because I'm always telling my clients, put things on your calendar, and if it's on your calendar, it gets done. Davina: It's not on your calendar, it's not gonna get done because you have no time allotted for it. You think you're gonna squeeze it in, but there is no place to squeeze it in. So she says, my problem is, is that I put things on my calendar and then I rebel against myself. So it's on my calendar. I'm gonna do this at this time. Davina: This is the ideal time to work on this project or that. And then when that time rolls around, I go, she becomes like this rebellious teenager on the inside. Well, why do I need to do that? I don't need to. I'm a grown up. I don't have to do that right now. I can do that at four. What's the difference between two and four? Davina: What do you say to somebody who struggles to, they have all the tools. They know how to time block. They know how to do all that, but then they are sabotaging themselves. [00:37:00] By not following through. And a lot of people do that with working out. That's a great example of that. You know, working out, they block out the time and then they don't go to the gym. Davina: So what kind of, what do you think is going on there? Yeah, I'd love to hear your take on it. Dominlka: Yeah. First of all, great that it's scheduled, but it's just a piece of a puzzle. First, I will look at the activity with a client. So what is this activity? Which project is this that you're gonna work on? Or what is this workout? Dominlka: And it become very clear what goal and what priority is this connected to? So I don't know which kind of project she was working on, but let's say Davina: work. It was work. It was work related. She's an attorney and it was work. Dominlka: Okay. Davina: So it wasn't a personal thing. It was, I'm gonna do this at this time. And you know, so we'll just use an example of working on her business. Davina: So she was gonna set aside the time to work on her business. Dominlka: This is actually a prime example of the lawyers that are trying to scale their business and grow their business and they don't have time to prioritize business development because they always are busy with client work, with the teamwork, with personal stuff, and [00:38:00] that business work is actually always at the bottom of the list, right? Dominlka: So first step, obviously what I would say is to schedule, she did it fine. Now we're looking into what kind of activities these are. Are they clear enough? Because many times when we procrastinate or when we are not. Consistent or not disciplined, it's just a symptom of one of few things. So first of all, you are not clear on what do you wanna achieve with this. Dominlka: Now, let's say she was a hundred percent clear and sure and motivated to achieve, uh, the next level for her business. So the second step would be motivation. Do you know why you want it? Is it because your grandfather was at that stage or. Your father, is it your family member who told you you have to achieve it? Dominlka: Or did you listen to the Venus podcast and you decided, okay, I want the same thing. Like you're saying, do you really know why you wanna make that money? Do you really know how your your life is going to look like? So that's the second step. The positive motivation. Why, the why behind the why, right? The third one will be the pain. Dominlka: Many times we are more motivated by our fear of pain [00:39:00] than the potential pleasure we get. So I will look into those activities and ask her, what are you gonna miss out on if you do them? And what are you gonna miss out of if you don't do them? Because if you attach enough pain of not following through, then you're more likely to follow through then when you attach the motivation to it. Dominlka: So I would reverse it and instead of looking at what do you get when you do it? I will look at what you're gonna miss out on. If you don't, your kids cannot go to college. You can't afford the holidays. You can't hire five more people and have more time for yourself. Every single pain there, read it, feel it, go through it again and again. Dominlka: So that's another thing. Um, another point, fourth point will be, I will check if everything checks in. Everything is in place, is clarity. Many times we need to remove every possible friction there, there is for us to take action. So when I would look into it, are you clear what you need to do in this block? Dominlka: Is it clear I need to reach out to this person, I need to write this email. I wanna write this article, or hire this company that writes article for me, whatever is the strategy, [00:40:00] is it clear? Because when it comes three o'clock and you're drafting a contract and you're fully focused on it, and then you have a game that you need to attend of your kid at five and when. Dominlka: When you are building a business at four, it's so big that you are like, no, no, no, no, I'm just gonna finish. This is a priority. But when at four you're having four emails to write, you have the template, you have everything set up, you have the, the very next step already lined up for you, then it's your more likely to to work. Dominlka: So I will look into what kind of friction, what kind of point of resistance she has in order to take action and remove it. And if this doesn't work, then I would look into why did you schedule it at four? Let's say it was for Friday. Most of the deadlines are on Friday. So do it. Why don't you do it Monday morning? Dominlka: First thing, before everybody comes, before you open your email, do it then, if this is important, if you have so much pain attached to it, if there's no friction, just really work with yourself and do not against yourself. Set yourself up for success. Create a ritual. So Davina: I think you're, I [00:41:00] think you're, I'm gonna interrupt because I wanna, uh, say a couple things and then wrap us up because I know we're both on the clock, but. Davina: Um, one of the things I think with her is that, uh, or not with her specifically, but one of the things that you mentioned that I wanna highlight is sort of breaking things down into baby steps. I think one of the challenges with people when it comes to implementation of anything that they have on their list is they don't break it down into small enough steps. Davina: Those real unintimidating things. And so they, they're sitting here, I have to, you know, do this whole big thing, and you're like, no, no, you just have to. Watch this one short video or you just have to, you know, write this email and send it out. Or you just have to call somebody. It doesn't have to be everything. Davina: You know, I have to, if I have to work on this, client's matter. We don't have to get it all done in one city, right. And sort of giving ourselves that next, uh, baby step toward implementation. We're just moving the ball a little bit down the goal line. [00:42:00] You know? So it's that kind of thing I think is a huge thing. Davina: But you definitely. Your your why is so important and going back and really saying, why did I put it there? What, what was the motivation for me? And I love how you talk about really getting into the pain of it as well, which is, what am I losing if, and I think a lot of times what people think is, it's like we use eating as an example. Davina: Well, in this moment I'm going to eat this hoho or this whatever, this decadent thing, and it, and I can eat it once. It's not going to affect me. But once you make that decision over and over and over and over again, it does affect you. It does affect you that one time you don't realize it. And that's, uh, so much of what is going on too. Davina: When you're not prioritizing your time, you say in this one moment, oh, I can skip this. I don't have to. Nobody's sitting. I'm my own boss. Nobody's sitting over me. I can skip this and uh, maybe do it at four instead of two, and nobody's gonna be the wiser. And that may work for that one day and that one time. Davina: But if you [00:43:00] consistently let your, off yourself off the hook that way, yeah. Then you are in a mess. You're, you're not achieving your goals, you're not doing the things you want. So either you don't really want them or you're self-sabotaging or something like that. So, I'm so glad that you shared with us today, all that you shared with us, your story and kind of your, your approach, your methodology. Davina: Tell us where people can connect with you if they wanna reach out and learn more about you and what you do. Dominlka: Absolutely. Um, I'm very active on Instagram. That's my home. It's the platform of my choice and my Instagram on my stories. I always share my day-to-day routines and rituals. So if you want some more inspiration of how to live day to day, you can. Dominlka: Uh. A lot of educational inspirational stuff and Instagram. I also always share updates about my current products and offers. Uh, I do one-on-one coaching. I do time audits. Most of the time they're sold out 'cause I do only once every, uh, three months that I hire an onboard new client. So you will always, when you [00:44:00] follow me on Instagram, know when is the window to sign up. Dominlka: And I also share a lot of my free, uh, templates, checklists, um. And masterclasses. I do a lot of Instagram lives with subject matter experts, uh, on business, on hormonal balance, you name it. So it's really the best place to follow me. It's on Instagram, Dominica Falo, uh, that's basically just my name. If you type it in Instagram, you'll find me, and you'll get all this knowledge, obviously more in depth because we just really rushed through it today for the purpose of the podcast. Dominlka: But you can get to know me even more. And then if you're interested, you know, what, what is happening in terms of my products and offers. Davina: Wonderful. Thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it. And, and everybody should know that she's actually in, uh, in Mexico right now, uh, living her best life. Davina: So if you, if you, uh, think that she doesn't practice what she preached, she definitely does. And so she's enjoying the Sunny Mexico as, as we're doing this call. I appreciate so [00:45:00] you being here so much and I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. Thanks. Thank you. Dominlka: Me too. Thank you so much for having me. It was awesome. Dominlka: Thank you.