Creating Momentum Without Losing Your Mind
By Steen Rasmussen; A Talk with Jesper Åström.
The ability to act fast is often treated as a superpower. But what if the real advantage lies in knowing when to pause?
In this fourth Urgency Session, I sat down with Jesper Åström, startup coach and founder of ELSA Growth, to challenge the common narrative around momentum. Together, we explored the moments where stillness beats motion, why action without direction can backfire, and how teams can rediscover clarity by stepping off the gas.
Why This Talk
This conversation is a glimpse into a 2-week Urgency Cohort I run on Maven. It was born from our own transformation at IIH Nordic: moving to a 4-day, 30-hour workweek. That shift didn’t just happen. It took three years of rewiring how we make decisions, how we treat urgency, and how we define productivity.
Jesper’s voice is critical in this narrative because he brings systems thinking into the heart of team culture. If you’ve ever felt like your team is busy but not progressing, this one’s for you.
Who Is Jesper Åström?
Jesper Åström is the founder of ELSA Growth, with over 45,000 hours of tactical campaign experience across global markets. His work spans viral marketing, user behavior analytics, and system design.
He has also helped build programs with institutions like Hyper Island, bringing a unique blend of operational rigor and creative thinking to everything he does. Jesper is not just a strategist. He is a builder of momentum and a challenger of what we call productive.
The Conversation
The Danger of Moving Without Meaning
We opened with a shared observation. The world seems to be moving faster than ever. But Jesper quickly cut to the core of the issue.
“We need to stop confusing movement with momentum. You can be in motion all the time and still go nowhere.”
He emphasized that many teams confuse speed with clarity. They ship features, launch campaigns, and check tasks off the list. But without shared understanding, it’s just motion. Without alignment, it's easy to confuse activity for actual progress.
Waste Time Wisely
Jesper offered a perspective I found deeply valuable.
“Some of the best things you can do in a company look like a waste of time. Long conversations. Looking at a whiteboard. Sitting down and thinking.”
At first glance, this sounds counterintuitive in fast-paced environments. But Jesper explained that these so-called wasteful moments create shared understanding, which removes future friction. That clarity, he argued, saves time later by preventing misalignment, repeated efforts, or rework.
Rhythm Over Hustle
We talked about what it means to work sustainably, to operate in a way that produces momentum without burnout.
“You can’t just inhale all the time. Breathing is inhale and exhale. Teams need that rhythm. Otherwise, it’s just hyperventilation.”
That rhythm, the deliberate choice to pause and reflect, is often what separates reactive teams from resilient ones.
Jesper believes leaders must model this rhythm by making space for thinking, not just execution.
The Pressure Illusion
We turned to a problem many leaders face: the constant pressure to move fast. Jesper questioned where that pressure really comes from.
“A lot of urgency we feel is made up. We believe we’re expected to act immediately, but often that’s internal. It’s a story we tell ourselves.”
When teams operate under imagined pressure, they default to shortcuts. They rush. But Jesper argued that real leadership means questioning the source of that pressure, and sometimes, deciding not to act.
From Panic to Purpose
One of the most powerful parts of the conversation was how Jesper reframed urgency through the lens of questioning.
“Instead of asking ‘How fast can we ship this?’ ask ‘What problem are we solving?’ That one change realigns the entire conversation.”
We reflected on how panic-driven action often feels urgent but leads to chaos. By simply asking better questions, teams can swap fear for focus.
Energy Beats Time
We spoke about burnout and motivation, especially relevant for teams running on low fuel.
Jesper doesn’t track hours. He tracks energy.
“I log when I feel most creative. And I try to work in those windows. If we want better output, we have to design for energy, not time.”
This shift in mindset, from squeezing more hours to showing up better, is something Jesper actively coaches in his work with founders. It’s about working smarter with your biology, not against it.
Clarity Comes From Stillness
We closed with a simple but powerful suggestion. I asked Jesper what one habit leaders should build to escape chaos.
“Schedule thinking time. No Slack. No meetings. Just sit and think. It’s not a luxury. It’s where clarity lives.”
He emphasized that once you have clarity, action becomes easier and far more effective. Many decisions aren’t final. They’re two-way doors. The key is to make a thoughtful choice, act, and adjust as needed.
Final Thoughts: The Pause That Propels
Jesper reminded us that leadership isn’t just about what we do. It’s about when we choose not to do. Sometimes, choosing stillness is what creates speed later.
When teams find their rhythm, urgency becomes sustainable. Progress becomes intentional. And results feel earned, not rushed.
Want More?
Jesper Åström’s insights are just one piece of a broader framework for decisive leadership. If this conversation resonated with you, join my next Urgency Cohort on Maven.
We’ll dive deeper into decision hygiene, prioritization, and how to unlock more output with fewer hours.
Because action is only urgent when it’s clear.
