All the Time, Money, and Network Questions
Remove imagined constraints to reveal the work you genuinely want to pursue
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
The method temporarily removes three common ceilings—time, money, and access—to expose what a person would choose without immediate logistical objections. The answers are not treated as permission to ignore reality; they reveal a direction worth investigating. Once a compelling possibility appears, the person returns to each constraint and asks how it might be changed: time can be cleared, skills can be learned, capital can be raised, and relationships can be developed. This separates desire discovery from feasibility planning, preventing an undeveloped idea from being rejected merely because the first version of the path is unclear.
Origin
Lori Harder used these questions after completing major goals and realizing that her identity had become wrapped up in achievement. Extracted from The Jasmine Star Show.
Core principles
- 01Separate genuine desire from current constraints
- 02Assume missing resources can be acquired
- 03Create space before choosing the next challenge
- 04Treat limiting beliefs as variables rather than facts
How to run it
- 1
Create mental space
Step away from the pressure to produce an immediately practical answer. Give yourself enough quiet to notice interests beyond your established identity.
Pro tip Treat the exercise as exploration rather than a commitment.
Watch out Answers may simply repeat your current work if you do not suspend expectations.
- 2
Remove the time constraint
Ask what you would do if you had all the time in the world. Notice which possibilities emerge when scheduling and existing obligations are temporarily removed.
Pro tip Include activities that sound fun even if they do not yet look productive.
- 3
Remove the money constraint
Ask what you would pursue if sufficient money were available. Use the answer to distinguish lack of interest from fear about funding.
Pro tip Do not assume you personally need to possess all the capital.
Watch out This is a discovery prompt, not permission to ignore financial risk.
- 4
Remove the network constraint
Ask what you would attempt if you could access everyone needed to help. Identify the expertise, introductions, and collaborators implied by the answer.
Pro tip Describe needed people by capability before searching for specific names.
- 5
Translate blocks into projects
Return to reality and turn each obstacle into a learnable or solvable project, such as clearing time, learning fundraising, or building relationships.
Pro tip Start with the smallest assumption you can test.
Watch out Do not try to eliminate every constraint before taking the first exploratory step.
In the wild
After finishing her book tour and other major achievements, Lori used the questions to explore ideas without immediately rejecting them. The exercise produced many possibilities, including a women-focused brunch restaurant and a beverage designed to encourage deeper conversations. She then spent roughly a year playing with the possibilities before one idea began to stick.
→ She moved from identity uncertainty to a concrete product concept worth testing.
Common mistakes
Demanding feasibility too early
Rejecting an idea during discovery because you lack time, money, or contacts recreates the ceilings the questions are designed to remove.
Treating imagination as a final plan
The exercise reveals direction, but practical validation and responsible resource planning must still follow.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for achievers, founders, and professionals who have completed an existing goal but cannot envision what comes next.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for urgent operational decisions that must remain inside fixed legal, financial, or safety constraints.
From the transcript
“If I had all the time, all the money and all the network in the world, what would I be doing?”
“And the reason that I asked those questions is because we always put a ceiling on ourselves and say, well, I'd love to do that…”
“And then also with the time I knew that I could make time, I could clear time.”
From the episode
Facing Truths and Making Hard Decisions with Lori Harder
Lori Harder