Do It While You’re Busy

When a new opportunity showed up at the worst possible time, it sparked a bigger question: Is being busy actually the problem?

In this episode, Jasmine shares a behind-the-scenes business decision involving an AI opportunity, a very logical COO, and advice from mentors that changed the way she thinks about timing, priorities, and growth.

This conversation explores why busy people often create more momentum, how constraints can lead to better decisions, and why waiting for the “perfect time” might be keeping you stuck.

Because sometimes “I’m too busy” isn’t responsibility… it’s fear wearing a blazer.

If you’ve been waiting for life to slow down before making the move—this episode is your sign to start now.

Busy people get it done.

Click play to hear all of this and:

[00:00] What professional disagreements reveal about priorities and decision-making

[01:57] When a new opportunity feels exciting… but may not fit the plan

[02:58] Three reasons busy seasons can create unexpected leverage

[03:49] How to navigate a business impasse without forcing the outcome

[04:49] The question to ask before making a big commitment

[05:49] Why busy people often move faster than people with more time

[08:34] How constraints create clarity and better decisions

[11:39] Why action builds confidence (and confidence fuels more action)

[12:39] The mindset shift that makes progress possible before life slows down

Listen to Related Episodes:

• Facing Truths and Making Hard Decisions with Lori Harder
• Make Better Business Decisions with This One Mindset Shift
• Stop the Busywork and Start Scaling

📧 Join my Newsletter for a weekly cocktail of insider business strategy, personal reflections, and the journey of being a thought leader: https://jasminestar.com/newsletter 📧

For full show notes, visit jasminestar.com/podcast/episode639

Transcript

Jasmine Star 00:00:00  Action taking reinforces self-reliance, which leads to more action. So. Action leads to handling it on your own, which then what leads to more action is a positive loop. Have you ever been in a professional disagreement, a situation where you knew if you were talking to your sister, it would lead to a yelling match? Or perhaps like a full on brawl and even into like adulthood, your mom might have to intervene. No, no. Well, okay. You have no idea what I'm talking about. Okay, then. Clearly you were not raised in a Latino home with sisters and brothers who are all vying to be right. My name is Jasmine Star, and I'm CEO of Jasmine Star Brands, which might make you think that I am free to make all of my own decisions in all of my own ways. And you might think that I'm right all the time. Let me break it down for you. It's actually quite the opposite. Well, I will make all of my decisions. It doesn't mean that people that I keep closest to me aren't challenging those decisions, debating them, or applying pressure.

Jasmine Star 00:00:55  Allow me to break this down. In a recent example, I used to work with a UI designer on the inside of social curator. Now he's gone on to do really incredible things on his own, and recently had an opportunity to work with an AI startup focused on entrepreneurs. So we'll pause here. One thing to be very clear, we used to work together. He's gone on to do really amazing things. I am like rooting for him. And all of a sudden our paths have recently intersected. Now the new startup that he was working with was looking for a group of entrepreneurs to launch the product with now. Let me be clear. Number one, I get asked or invited into new projects every single week, so this was not a novel opportunity. Number two, I am very involved and an avid consumer of AI education and AI thought leadership. Number three lastly, my calendar is so full and my time is so stretched thin that I am focused on the ruthless elimination of distractions. But okay. But there was something about the message that I couldn't stop thinking about.

Jasmine Star 00:01:57  I have been working tirelessly behind the scenes on trying to build an AI infrastructure into an otherwise non friendly AI environment. Now I can explain more about what I mean at a later point in time, but let's just keep the main point, the main point, trying to prove why I was right. Okay, that's why I do this show. No, I'm just kidding. When I approached my COO with this opportunity, she rightly so pointed out that it seemed like a distraction from our main initiatives. She also took a screenshot of my calendar and asked when I could see taking on this new particular endeavor. So let me point out the obvious. She questioned my belief with facts. She is clearly a woman after my own heart and knows how to challenge me by way of logic. Now, let us not doubt that I am always up for a challenge, which is what likely made me a really great student when it came to debating in law school. So I responded with three main points. Number one, AI is moving faster than I have the time or the bandwidth to really study and implement.

Jasmine Star 00:02:58  Number two, we could possibly add on an AI product to existing offers or to other offers in the future. If we understood and built out the architecture in advance. Number three, if you're listening to audio, it's like the amount of eye rolling that is going on right now. I'm like, there I am, rolling my eyes so much that they're going so far back into my head. Okay, so let's get into step number three. Now step number three. Point number three. She came to me correct with three points. I'm gonna come back to her with three points. Number three I get more done when I'm busy because it forces me to create a hierarchy of leverage. What one thing am I going to do that has the biggest impact? So she replied and she said that she thought it was better if I kept my priorities locked in until quarter three. she told this to me in March, so I almost lost my mind, thinking I would have to wait or miss this opportunity for another three months.

Jasmine Star 00:03:49  I think she's tripping. So I responded and I said to her, what if I bring somebody else in to support me on this initiative so that I am not taking on another project solo? And then it became clear that we were at an impasse. Okay. A fork in the road where a decision was going to have to be made. But I didn't want to bulldoze my way into getting what I wanted. So what did I do? I consulted with two of my mentors, and I laid out the facts and I asked them to please, hey, y'all, mentors of mine talk me out of this decision. Now, I want to be very clear. I was not trying to be right. I actually don't want to be overwhelmed. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew. I don't want to be all things to all people. But I also understand that if I feel something in my gut or I am hearing my intuition call to me, I'm going to pay special attention. I just needed my mentors to reflect back if I was in fact out of alignment.

Jasmine Star 00:04:49  Or would this project be distracting? So after laying out the facts, each of my mentors independently responded the same way. Jasmine, you don't have enough information to make a decision. You know what? That felt 100% true. And it didn't feel like a commitment. I simply had to gather enough information to ensure that what the company wanted and what I wanted was in alignment. But what I want to do right now is pause and pull back even farther. Because this episode is not an episode on how to be right. Even though I could probably likely lay out a framework for you to always get your way when you want it and how you want it. But that's not this show. Okay. My husband's watching this and rolling his eyes right about now. Here's what this episode is about. The main point that I am trying to make is that busy people get it done. So I just laid out an example of when I am already stretched thin and overwhelmed and somebody is saying, hey, you need to slow down.

Jasmine Star 00:05:49  And then I used mentors to give me insights on that decision. But what I am trying to say that if you're listening right now, the chances are that you are the busiest person in your friend group. Also, chances are that you're the person in your family who they ask to help them to get an outcome or to handle it like a boss. Let me just tell you, you are my people. Busy people are my people. And I am not saying like it's right or this is the best way to live. I'm not even saying it's healthy, but it's just a fact. You are busy. If somebody asked me to choose somebody who can get a project done in a short amount of time with a limited resources, no directions. Ten out of ten times I'm going to choose a busy person. Why busy people get it done. Welcome to the Jasmine Star Show where we talk about business. And today this episode is all about choosing to do it while you're busy. What am I talking about? To run the marathon.

Jasmine Star 00:06:41  To sign up for a program, to start a business. And this is why I believe this. Busy people don't have more time. Busy people have more clarity. People who say I'm too busy, they're not blocked by time. They're blocked by decision, friction, fear, or they just don't know what to prioritize. Oh, Is this shots fired. Okay, let me go back and state what is true when you have limited time. You skip overthinking. You avoid perfectionism. You make faster decisions. Okay, so let's get into an example. A person with two free hours will research and plan and optimize. Now a person with 20 minutes, we're just going to ship the thing. I've been in entrepreneurship for so long that it's more common for me to see working parents launching a side business. Often they will outperform full time aspiring entrepreneurs. Why? Because those parents who are having the side hustle, because they don't have the time of luxury, that luxury of hesitation for every parent who is building a business.

Jasmine Star 00:07:43  Have you ever thought back to like your pre kid life and you wonder, what was I even doing with all that time? You know, how am I even keeping up the pace when I live with an adorable dictator who can thwart my business day in about 0.7 seconds? Okay, I don't know about you. I think about that. Before I had a kid, I was like, baby girl, what were you doing out here? Trying to build all of these other things. And you're living with a tiny dictator. Okay, back then, I had the luxury. It was a luxury of indecision. I had the quiet moments to reflect and bounce between ideas and outcomes. And now it's a race against the clock. I gotta get my business tasks done before eating dinner, before bath time, before playing at the park, and before reading in bed. And here's the ironic part. I'm more successful now, thinking less and getting things out there faster than I was when I spent more time planning and strategizing.

Jasmine Star 00:08:34  The results and the feedback led to faster results, not just thinking about what I should be doing. The action leads to results. Thoughts lead to more thoughts. And here's the truth. Busy people are forced into priority discipline. Basically how strict you can be with yourself when it comes to your priorities. So if if setting priorities is a muscle, I literally want to be Arnold Schwarzenegger of priority discipline, you know. Okay, so what does this actually mean? When your schedule is full? You cannot treat everything like it's important. Busy people. What do they do? Busy people ruthlessly prioritize. They they ask themselves what is actually going to move the needle. They're going to drop smaller tasks faster. They literally like busy people. They're just going to say, I'm going to let it go. Not because they don't care. It's simply not a priority. A study from Harvard Business Review found that high performers are more likely to focus on fewer high value tasks than instead of trying to do everything. If you're trying to do less, it means you're getting movement from your priorities.

Jasmine Star 00:09:39  And please don't ever forget momentum beats motivation and busy people. They have momentum. People who are busy, they're already in motion. Okay, so let me break this down. I used to be a professional server, and I say the word professional because I treated every waitressing job like it was a career. I made a ton of money in college and before I went to law school as a server. In fact, I made more money as a server than I did as a manager at Nordstrom. And I literally say this as humbly as possible. But if you saw me on the work schedule with you at a restaurant and we shared a station at that restaurant, oh, you would be happy because you were going to.

Jasmine Star 00:10:21  Make it rain.

Jasmine Star 00:10:22  Your money is going to fall from the sky. Why? I clocked twice as many steps as anybody else. I was focused fast, and I stayed two steps ahead. Not just of my section, but of yours too. We were going to get it done.

Jasmine Star 00:10:34  I could cover your refills because I was already in motion. I was bussing tables down to the glassware before the party left, so I had my tables turned faster. Why? I was already in motion. It is the same principle in business when you're already in motion, like you've got momentum on your side because you're focusing on your priorities, it creates confidence and less emotional resistance. Now think about this from the opposite side. If somebody is idle or they're stuck and they ask, is this the right move? The busy person is moving so fast they simply respond, let's test it. Let's go. Let's adjust now, let's make this personal. Think of the busiest person you know. So think about it. Picture them right now in your mind, how fast does it take that really busy person for them to reply? They're likely the fastest. They're likely the most likely to take the quickest action. They say yes or no. Clearly. Why? Because they're already in execution mode. They're already in motion.

Jasmine Star 00:11:39  I read this study from Stanford University that stated action taking reinforces self-reliance, which leads to more action. So action leads to handling it on your own, which then what leads to more action? It's a positive loop. And do you want to hear something cool? If you're building a business as a side hustle, you're more likely to see results faster. Millions of people are building businesses while working full time jobs. Over 44% of Americans have a side hustle, and most people say that they work on that side hustle less than ten hours per week. Okay, so what does this all mean? In the simplest terms, they are making money even though they are downright busy. It's proof that progress doesn't come from having time. Progress comes from using constraints. When my COO and I were discussing whether or not I should take this new endeavor. Yes. Am I going back to talking about what we did at the top of the episode? Oh yes we did. You want to know why? I don't forget anything.

Jasmine Star 00:12:39  I my receipts have receipts. So I'm making this podcast just for her and anybody else who might be interested. So I talked about me and my COO having that conversation. I had to take a step back and write down my thoughts. And here's my truth. I shouldn't choose whether to do something because I'm busy or not. Busy isn't the problem. Indecision is. I don't need more time to start. I'm just acting like somebody who doesn't have time to waste. Ooh. Think about that. Are you acting like somebody who doesn't have time to waste? And here's where you're about to see the business strategist, podcaster, and professional speaker blend into one person. I want you to make a decision, and I want you to act like somebody who doesn't have time to waste. I have seen and spoken to way too many people who are inspired, and they're motivated to make a change, but then they waste time overthinking about it. They look at time like it's a luxury, like they can just waste time.

Jasmine Star 00:13:41  They can just spend time. They can just dole out time. So when I follow up a year later and they're in the same spot that they were in a year before, and then the same spot in the year before that. this is why I believe you should do it while you're busy. Train for the marathon. Sign up for the program. Start your business. because busy is an unfair advantage, baby. Being busy will force you to take action. You'll create momentum. You'll realize it simply. You don't have time to waste and all of that. Let me tell you, all of that is where the magic is made. At the time of this recording, I haven't committed to this new project yet because I don't have all the details. But let me tell you what I do. No, I won't say no because I'm busy. I will say no if it's not in alignment with my priorities, if it doesn't create disproportionate leverage, or if it slows my momentum. I know that being busy is my unfair advantage, so I'm going to squeeze it.

Jasmine Star 00:14:38  For all it's worth. I want you to do the same. I want to say thank you for watching and listening to The Jasmine Star Show. It's never been about proving yourself right. It is simply about communicating to others that though you might be busy, you are making a life changing decision to bet on yourself, to make it work, to build momentum, and to build the future life that you have been waiting for. Thanks again.