Resources
Why You Feel Anxious With All That Freed-Up Space
Unstuck Monthly | May 2025
Hi, Friend!
Last month we explored the power of strategic quitting: releasing what’s not serving you to make room for what will. This month, I’ve been thinking about what comes next: the sometimes uncomfortable art of building momentum with all that freed-up space.
Here's what I keep seeing: People strategically quit something draining, create space for what matters, and then feel... anxious. Not relieved. Not energized. Anxious. “I have this space now,” they tell me, “but I don’t know what to do with it.”
The anxiety makes perfect sense. These people have been in constant motion—busy, reactive motion that felt purposeful because it felt urgent. Then they strategically quit something, suddenly finding themselves caught between random movement and intentional direction.
This is the moment where real transformation either takes hold or fades away. And it all comes down to understanding the different types of momentum.
The Three Types of Momentum
I’ve noticed three distinct types of momentum operating in our professional lives, distinguished by the presence or absence of intentional choice:
Reactive Momentum
This is motion driven entirely by external demands rather than internal intention. We’re bouncing from crisis to crisis, urgent request to urgent request. It feels productive because we’re constantly busy, but we’re essentially moving randomly, responsive to whatever demands our attention rather than moving toward anything we’ve deliberately chosen.
I recently worked with a client (Hope) who exemplified this perfectly.
Hope is an Executive Partner managing high-profile client relationships. As the primary breadwinner, the pressure was intense. Her phone buzzed constantly with urgent decisions. The company culture had become increasingly toxic, putting her in the impossible position of being accountable for problems she didn’t create but couldn’t ignore.
On top of all this, Hope was frantically considering starting her own business as an escape route.
Hope was drowning in reactive momentum: constant movement driven by external demands, internal panic, and the desperate need to escape. But all of it was random, without deliberate direction.
Static Momentum
This is the tricky middle ground where most people find themselves after strategic quitting. We’ve stopped the chaos and created some space, but we haven’t started making intentional choices about what comes next. We’re no longer moving randomly, but we’re not moving purposefully either.
The relief is real, but so is the anxiety. Without constant busyness, we worry we're not productive enough. More concerning, this is where we backslide, returning to old patterns or filling the space with new busyness because stillness feels uncomfortable.
For Hope, the strategic quit that moved her from reactive to static momentum was putting her business escape plan on hold. Instead of reactively fleeing her situation, she chose to focus on making her current environment workable. But this created its own anxiety: “If I’m not constantly crisis-managing or planning my escape, what am I supposed to be doing?”
This static state is actually a choice point. We can drift here indefinitely, slowly sliding back into reactive patterns, or we can make the deliberate decision to move toward intentional momentum.
Intentional Momentum
This is where agency kicks in. The key difference is that intentional momentum requires making deliberate choices about where to focus our energy, then building systems that support those choices. Small, consistent actions aligned with our values and goals create exponential results because they build on each other purposefully.
Hope made this shift by building her “client tracking system,” which required dedicated time each week to review and strategize rather than just react. She made her assistant an accountability buddy and stopped treating constant crisis as a sign of productivity, instead measuring success by how well she was staying ahead of her clients’ needs.
The transformation wasn’t immediate. Hope had to retrain her brain to recognize a new version of productivity. But gradually, the intentional systems created sustainable momentum that let Hope excel professionally while maintaining her health and personal time, rather than being driven by external chaos.
By our final session, she was getting a full night’s sleep consistently, had returned to regular athletic activities, and had reclaimed meaningful personal time. Her client relationships were stronger because she was being proactive rather than reactive.
The compound effect of small, consistent systems had created momentum that was sustainable, enjoyable, and aligned with her values. That’s the momentum worth building.
Your Momentum Audit
If you’re reading this after making some strategic releases in your own life, you’re likely in that space between reactive and intentional momentum. The question is: which direction will you choose?
Here’s how to assess where you stand and what to do next:
What patterns are you building right now?
Are you filling freed-up time with new forms of random busyness, or are you being deliberate about what gets your energy?
If you’re not sure, track your time for a few days and look for patterns that can be revealing.
What’s one small, consistent action you could start?
Hope’s system started with just 30 minutes every Friday for client review and strategy. What’s your equivalent?
The key is starting small enough that you can be consistent, then letting that consistency build its own momentum.
How might you measure progress on what matters?
The systems that create intentional momentum are often invisible day-to-day but powerful over time. What would you need to track to ensure you’re building toward something meaningful rather than just staying busy?
Sometimes the most powerful momentum comes from optimizing where we are rather than starting over somewhere new. Hope chose “strategic patience,” building intentional systems within her current environment rather than making a dramatic exit. She recognized that transformation doesn't always require transition. It just requires choosing intention over reaction.
Your Q2 Momentum Check
The next month is perfect timing to start creating intentional momentum. You’re at the choice point between random motion and purposeful momentum.
If you’re ready to move from reactive to intentional momentum but want thought partnership to design your approach, I have a few spots open for Q2 momentum conversations. These sessions are perfect for identifying what systems would serve you best and how to start building them sustainably without backsliding into old patterns.
Book a Q2 Momentum Conversation.
Thank you for sticking with me!
Until next time,
Alex
P.S. If this resonated with you, I’d love for you to forward it to someone who might be ready to transform their own chaos into intentional momentum.
The Self-Determination Connection
Building intentional momentum is ultimately about reclaiming agency in our professional lives.
When we create systems that align with our values and build on our strengths, we’re satisfying the fundamental psychological needs that drive sustainable motivation and satisfaction.
The Self-Determination Compass assessment helps you identify what foundations you have in place versus what’s missing. This clarity is essential for getting through the choice point and maintaining forward progress rather than drifting back into old patterns.
Great conversations start with shared insights. My coaching practice, like this newsletter, thrives on connections – if you know someone who's navigating their own sticking points, I'd love for you to share this with them.
