Are You Busy or Are You Moving Forward?
Sometimes the work you choose is just the work you're comfortable with
Happy 2026.
I took two weeks off over Christmas—first time in years. And I caught myself about to make the exact mistake I spend my time warning founders about.
A friend told me I should start a podcast. Another suggested short YouTube videos. They both like what I write, and hearing that felt good. My brain immediately started planning: format ideas, equipment I’d need, how to repurpose newsletter content.
Then I stopped. Wait. What problem am I actually solving here?
The real answer: I was avoiding the hard work.
There’s a law in physics called inertia.
Newton’s first law: An object in motion stays in motion, an object at rest stays at rest—unless acted upon by an external force.
We usually focus on the “stays at rest” part. That’s not the dangerous one.
The dangerous part is “stays in motion.” We keep moving in the same direction even when we should stop. We drift toward what feels comfortable, even when we convince ourselves we’re doing something new.
I’m a product person who loves writing. Building stuff comes naturally to me. Creating content comes naturally.
Podcasts and YouTube videos sound like strategic growth moves. But the work I actually need to be doing right now? Cold reaching potential clients. Having uncomfortable conversations. Finding out where they’re stuck and what’s keeping them there.
That work has friction. So I was about to solve a distribution problem by... creating more content.
Sound familiar?
I see this pattern everywhere:
Product people keep building features when they should be talking to customers. Communication experts keep polishing their messaging when they should be testing it in the market. Founders create elaborate content strategies when they should be doing uncomfortable outreach.
We all have our inertia zones—the work that feels productive but isn’t actually moving things forward.
The work that comes with less friction. The work we’re good at. The work that feels safe.
Mine is creating. Yours might be something else. But we all have one.
So here’s the question for 2026:
What’s your natural inertia zone?
Where are you keeping yourself busy with comfortable work instead of doing the necessary work?
Are you building when you should be selling? Creating when you should be testing? Polishing when you should be shipping?
I caught myself this time. The question is:
what are you about to convince yourself is “strategic” that’s actually just comfortable?