Before Momentum Leads

Nothing Was Closed

In the past two weeks, the same exchange has appeared repeatedly in coaching sessions. I ask, “How did the year start for you?” The answer comes quickly, then slows down. “Fine,” they say, “but it still feels like the year hasn’t really ended.” They usually stop there, as if the sentence itself already contains the explanation.

When we stay with it, concrete details appear. A project that required intense effort right during the holidays period to reach final delivery is still open. A decision postponed before the break is now scheduled again, unchanged. Conversations labeled “after the holidays” are back on the agenda, exactly where they were left off.

The calendar has moved forward. The content has not.

Someone occasionally mentions Blue Monday, as an explanation for the mood. The label adds little. What they are pointing to is simpler: the year has started, but it has started without any prior closure. Work did not end and restart. It continued.

Back Into Motion

A second pattern becomes clear. There was no deliberate re-entry into work. The pace slowed slightly for a few days, then returned quickly to its previous level. Not because anyone chose it, but because this is how things usually resume.

Managers describe it in practical terms. Inboxes fill up. Meetings return to their usual frequency. Requests accelerate. Deadlines tighten. Language shifts from “after the break” to “we need to move on this.” The expected pace is assumed, not discussed.

Several managers say the same thing in different words: “I thought I would ease into it, but I’m already back at full speed.” It was not said as a complaint, but rather as a realization. Motion resumed before there was time to examine it.

The year itself is no longer the topic. Execution is. People are busy, responsive, effective. The organization is moving again at a familiar speed, not because that speed was chosen, but because nothing interrupted it.

Speed by Default

One thing I can’t help but notice in these discussions: managers usually come in to discuss a project issue, a team matter, or a decision. Still, in these two weeks, I see many return to the same point: the year has started, work is already moving fast, and yet the beginning of the year does not feel settled.

What they are holding is a gap between expectation and reality. The expectation from January has been to bring clearer priorities, more order, or a more deliberate pace. Almost as if things would fall into the right order while everyone was on vacation. Instead, work resumed exactly where it left off, with the same open questions and the same speed.

Speed returns by default. It is not decided. It is assumed. This is where the real cost appears. Managers know, rationally, that work is continuous. At the same time, they still expect the winter break to have brought more clarity, which has not arrived. Holding both positions consumes attention.

Motion resumes before choice. And once that happens, motion replaces decision. Execution fills the space where prioritization, clarification, and closure should take place.

The cost is not a lack of immediate results. Results often continue to be delivered. The cost is managerial. Focus becomes fragmented. Important questions remain unaddressed because staying in motion feels safer and faster than stopping to decide what actually deserves speed.

When speed runs by default, leadership shifts from deciding direction to keeping things moving. And that is not neutral. It reduces clarity, weakens prioritization, and limits the space needed for better decisions.

• Where did your pace resume automatically?
• What priorities continued without your choice?
• What from last year still directs you?
• Where are you executing instead of deciding?
• What would you question if you slowed?

A short pause now may be the only moment available to review which actions truly require speed, and which are simply continuing by default.

How can I support you?

The Manager Mindset - One-on-one coaching designed to boost your performance and enhance your sense of fulfilment and satisfaction in life.

Master Your Resilience - Group coaching that helps you navigate life's challenges with greater ease and flow, empowering you to thrive through adversity.

Growth Mindset for New Managers - Your online autonomy training is designed to catalyse your personal growth and ensure your fast transition to your first management role.

Complimentary Strategy Call (FREE) - Let’s craft your personalised roadmap for transformation. Discover where coaching can take you in just 6 months with a free, strategic call to set your path toward success.