This is Part 3 of a three-part series on time management, motivation, and slowing down to speed up.

If you haven’t listened to Parts 1 and 2 yet, go back and start there. This episode builds directly on that foundation.

In this final installment, I’m talking about the real reason time management feels so hard for so many people — and it has very little to do with your calendar.

In an uncertain world, there are only a few things you actually control:
Your thoughts.
Your emotional state.
Your actions (or inaction).

And learning to work from that truth — instead of fighting reality — is the key to a fulfilling life and a deep sense of pride in how you spend your time.

In this episode, I introduce a tool I call Mind Blocking.

It’s designed to pair with time blocking — but instead of controlling your schedule, it helps you develop flexibility, awareness, and emotional resilience while you’re working. Mind Blocking is about noticing your thoughts in real time, separating from them, and intentionally shifting your inner experience so you can move forward with clarity and momentum.

Because here’s what usually happens:
You start working.
Something goes wrong.
A client pushes back.
A ball gets dropped.
You don’t hear back from a prospect.

And suddenly your mind spirals into panic, frustration, self-doubt, or resentment — all while you’re still trying to get things done.

This episode walks you through a 4-step Mind Blocking process that helps you stay in the observation deck of your own mind — so stress doesn’t hijack your focus, and momentum doesn’t collapse the moment things get uncomfortable.

We’ll cover:

• How to decide who you want to be when it comes to follow-through and reliability

• How to notice unhelpful thoughts while you’re working (without stopping)

• How to replace them intentionally in the moment — not later

• How to let those new thoughts shift your emotional state and build lasting capacity

Over time, this practice compounds.
Your confidence grows.
Your capacity expands.
Your relationship with time changes.

You stop designing your life around your limits — and start becoming someone who can handle more with ease.

This is how you slow down internally… and speed everything else up.

Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/

If you haven’t listened to Part 1, pause this episode and go back now. This is a two-part conversation, and the context matters.

In Part 2, I’m talking about the moment most people get stuck: when you don’t feel like it. When motivation is low. 

When you’re tired, distracted, traveling, overwhelmed—or telling yourself this just isn’t the right time to push.

I share a real example from being in Mexico and asking myself a hard question: Am I the kind of person who doesn’t want responsibility right now… or am I becoming the kind of person who can hold responsibility anywhere? That shift changed everything.

This episode breaks down the difference between designing your life around your limitations versus becoming the version of yourself who can handle more—with less stress. 

Counterintuitively, it’s more exhausting to live a life of constant accommodation than it is to build capacity. When you slow down the right way, you actually speed everything up.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to move from “I don’t feel like it” to becoming someone who does

• The actions that create real momentum (not fake motivation)

• How your environment and mental “soundtrack” drive your productivity

• Why procrastination isn’t a character flaw—it’s a solvable pattern

• How to stop negotiating with yourself and start following through

This is about time management at a deeper level. Not hacks. Not tricks. Identity, momentum, and decision-making that compounds over time.

Join Me Live This Wednesday

I’m teaching a FREE live workshop this Wednesday where I’ll help you apply these ideas directly to your business—so you can create momentum, close more deals, and stop stalling out when it matters most.

👉 Sign up here:https://coachdonohoe.com/live-workshop-registration

Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/

I used to think "time management" meant constantly optimizing my time and extracting every last minute of productivity out of myself.

But this wasn't time management - it was self-punishment. Like running a military bootcamp in my head.

And when you approach time and productivity through this lens, it ALWAYS ends in one of two ways: burnout or complete paralysis (or both).

Here's what changed everything for me: I stopped treating time as a commodity to be optimized. I stopped treating myself like a machine. And I learned a human approach to managing my time.

In this episode, I'm introducing the first of two tools that completely revolutionized my life - and how I think about time. This is how I've been able to accomplish more than I ever thought possible in business and in life, without burning out.

This is part one of a two-part series. Episode 2 drops next week.

If you've been struggling with productivity, overwhelm, or the constant feeling that there's never enough time - this episode will change how you work.

Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/

Referrals are one of the fastest, most authentic ways to land clients. And yet… most people are terrible at getting them.

Not because they’re bad at what they do.

Not because their network doesn’t want to help them.

But because they stop 90 seconds too soon.

They have great conversations that end with:

• “I’ll keep you in mind.”
• “Happy to make an intro sometime.”
• “Let me know if I think of anyone.”

And then… nothing happens.

In this episode, I’m breaking down The 90-Second Referral Fix — the exact framework I use to turn vague promises into real introductions that lead to paid work.

You’ll learn:

• Why referrals are powerful (and why they’re not a silver bullet)

• The 3 “kisses of death” that quietly kill referrals before they start

• What to say (and what not to say) when asking for referrals

• How to make it ridiculously easy for your network to help you

• The one shift that turns “I’ll keep you in mind” into actual intros

I also walk you through a real client story and show you exactly where most people miss the opportunity — even when they’re doing almost everything right.

We talk about:

• Identifying referral partners the smart way (win/win, not awkward)

• How to sell yourself and the referral opportunity (this is what’s usually missing)

• How to slow down and generate referrals live, in the conversation

• Why rushing is the enemy — and clarity is your best friend

• What it means if you feel resistance or embarrassment asking (and how to work with that)

Referrals don’t need to feel pushy.

They don’t need to feel salesy.

And they definitely don’t need to be left to chance.

When you do this right, referrals become an engine of growth — not a hope-and-pray strategy.

This episode will show you exactly how.

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Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery
https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/

Have you ever held back from reaching out to someone because you were afraid they'd think you were using them?

This fear slows down your momentum in sales and networking more than anything else.

This week I'm teaching you 3 principles that will eradicate your insecurity and help you feel completely grounded while you network. This is how you network authentically without being salesy - so you never have to worry about whether someone thinks you're using them.

When you get this right, you'll land clients quickly, grow your business, and feel great in the process.

It's so much simpler than you think. I'm breaking it down step by step.

Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/

The Simplest (But Scariest) Way to Make Money

The simplest way to make money in your business is also the one most people avoid.

I see it all the time: incredibly smart, capable professionals who know they have something valuable to offer… but keep telling themselves they need more clarity before they can start selling.

So they plan. They overthink.

They try to design the perfect offer before ever talking to a real person.

It feels responsible. It feels safe. But it’s quietly delaying their income — and eroding their confidence.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the four traps that keep talented people from making money now — and showing you the three-step process for getting paid while you’re still getting clear.

Because here’s the truth most people get wrong: You don’t get clear before you get paid.
You get clear in the process of getting paid.

I walk you through:

• Why “waiting until you’re ready” is costing you revenue

• The 4 traps that keep people stuck in planning mode

• What to sell when you don’t think you have an offer

• Who to sell to when you don’t think you have an audience

• Why simplicity beats strategy at the start

• The exact skills you actually need to land clients (and the ones you don’t)

This is the same approach I used to start my business — and the same one I teach clients who want to stop delaying and start getting paid without burning themselves out.

When you get this right, everything changes:
Conversations turn into opportunities
Opportunities turn into clients
Clients turn into income — quickly and naturally

It’s so much simpler than you think.
And you can start right now.

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Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery⁠ https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/⁠

If you've ever stopped yourself from going after what you want, you're not alone. This is one of the most common struggles I see with talented, capable people - and once you understand why it happens, everything will make sense.

You work hard, you're good at what you do, but when it's time to step into the spotlight - to be seen, to claim success, to own your authority - something stops you.

The anxiety kicks in. You play it safe. You accommodate others. You convince yourself you need to follow someone else's rules instead of your own.

And the reason why might surprise you - it's not what most people think.

This isn't just uncomfortable - the cost is huge. You're earning a fraction of what you're capable of earning. And you're emotionally exhausted by your own anxiety. It's draining you.

In this episode, I'm revealing why this happens and what you can do to solve it.

I'm also sharing my personal journey from 2016 to today. Back then, I was so afraid of being seen that I couldn't even order a salad at a pizza restaurant because I didn't want my friends to think I was being difficult. I had to ask my husband to order it for me. That's how accommodating and small I had made myself.

If you only know me as the bold version of myself that I am today, this story is going to shock you.

I'm going to tell you exactly how I overcame it - and give you the exact steps for learning to jump into action. To submit the LinkedIn post. To send the email invitation. To make the offer to work with someone.

This is true freedom in business - the comfort to play by your own rules and actually have the income and business you want.

Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/

Every decision comes with risk. The question is: which risk are you willing to tolerate, and why?

There's the risk of betting on yourself - going all in, building something that's yours, and seeing what's possible.

And there's the risk of going back - spending your days dedicated to someone else's business, constantly wondering if you should actually be working for yourself.

Both are risks. But only one of them lets you build something that's truly yours.

In this episode, I'm breaking down how to make this decision with clarity. Because here's what I've learned: most people aren't actually choosing between independence and a full-time job. They're hedging. Playing it safe. Saying yes to work that pays the bills but doesn't light them up. Spending time dreaming about the escape hatch back to corporate life.

I'm asking you to be honest: have you really given independence the shot it deserves? Or have you been holding back?

You don't have to commit your entire life to your business yet. But you do need to give yourself permission to go ALL IN for 12 months. To get the support you actually need. To replace your old salary and build something that's yours.

It's time to go all in on your purpose and build a revenue engine to sustain it.

If you're ready to stop hedging and start building, join me in my Advanced Mastermind, GROW Independent. This is a cohort of 10 professionals dedicating 1 full year to creating a business aligned to purpose and building the marketing and sales engine to sustain it.

The doors are open NOW.

Sign up here: https://coachdonohoe.com/grow-independent

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Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/

I got bullied so badly as a gay kid that I decided the only way to survive was to be perfect at everything. School, sports, music - I would outperform everyone around me, always.

This “survival mechanism” worked for decades. Until April of this year, when it nearly destroyed my business.

I was facing repeated failure. My launches weren't hitting. My revenue was inconsistent. And my entire nervous system was screaming that if I couldn't be perfect, I wasn't loveable. So I had two choices: quit, or fundamentally change who I was.

I chose to change. And what I discovered changed everything about how I approach motivation, resilience, and building a business that lasts.

In this episode, I'm walking you through the exact process I used to sustain my motivation in the face of failure - without powering through or doing more. Because here's what most people get wrong: you can't fight a lack of motivation with more effort.

You have to change the way you see yourself and what you're capable of. You have to build the capacity to feel unwanted emotions and have your own back, no matter what happens.

I'm breaking down the 4-step process that allowed me to keep going when everything felt like it was falling apart - and how you can also follow it in your own business.

If you've ever felt like quitting, or you're stuck in a cycle of perfectionism that's burning you out, this episode will show you the way forward.

This is the foundation for everything I teach in my advanced workshop: The $250K Revenue Engine

You can't build a sustainable revenue engine without first building the internal capacity to handle setbacks, stay motivated, and keep showing up when results aren't immediate.

In this workshop, we're going deep on both: the inner work of finding your purpose and the outer work of aligning your business to that purpose. This is about determining your personal and professional "why" - a vision powerful enough to sustain you through the inevitable challenges of building a business.

If this episode resonates with you, this workshop will take you further.

Register now at: https://coachdonohoe.com/revenue-engine-webinar-register Use discount code HOLIDAYMOMENTUM for 100% off at checkout.

Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/

What do you do when you sell different offers or services to completely different markets? Maybe you're an education consultant AND a parent advocacy coach. Or you offer strategic consulting to corporations while also coaching individual leaders. How do you build a business that serves both without burning out or confusing your audience?

That's the exact situation my clients Kate and Paige were in. They run IEPractices - an education consultancy that serves schools and school districts with bespoke consulting engagements, while also serving parents and families with advocacy coaching. These are two entirely different buyers with completely different needs.

In under 12 months, they've built a multi-six figure business selling to both markets. And in this episode, I'm interviewing them to break down exactly how they did it.

This episode is perfect for independent consultants who sell multiple offers or services. We break it down into a simple process that will help you land clients consistently across different markets. So much of this comes down to building your audience of buyers and learning how to speak to those buyers - even when one is completely different from the other.

If you're struggling to juggle multiple offers or wondering if it's even possible to serve different markets successfully, this conversation will show you the way.

Ready to scale your revenue and impact?

Join the waitlist for my advanced mastermind, GROW Independent – a 12-month program for building a predictable sales and marketing engine.

Join the waitlist now at: https://www.chrisdonohoecoaching.com/growindependent

Royalty Free Music from Tunetank.com Track: Urban Legend by Musical Bakery https://tunetank.com/track/3362-urban-legend/