--- title: "On Momentum — The Performance File | Boaz Gilad" description: "You are on a downward escalator. Standing still is not maintaining — it's losing ground. Boaz maps the three phases of momentum (heavy lift, momentum, coas" lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#zenith-clubhouse", "name": "The Zenith Clubhouse", "url": "https://www.boazgilad.com/", "founder": { "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#boaz-gilad" }, "description": "The Zenith Clubhouse is Boaz Gilad's community and coaching practice for entrepreneurs, executives and teams who want honest rooms and real accountability.", "email": "boaz@zenithclubhouse.com", "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/boaz-gilad-2237954/", "https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573032405826", "https://www.youtube.com/@UnmaskPodcastOfficial" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#website", "url": "https://www.boazgilad.com/", "name": "Boaz Gilad", "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#zenith-clubhouse" }, "about": { "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/#boaz-gilad" }, "inLanguage": "en-US" }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BlogPosting", "headline": "On Momentum", "description": "You are on a downward escalator. Standing still is not maintaining — it's losing ground. Boaz maps the three phases of momentum (heavy lift, momentum, coasting), why coasting is the most dangerous because it still feels like movement, and how top performers learn to manage pace rather than worship speed.", "url": "https://www.boazgilad.com/blog/on-momentum", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/blog/on-momentum" }, "datePublished": "2026-06-21", "dateModified": "2026-06-21", "articleSection": "Performance", "inLanguage": "en", "keywords": "Performance, Boaz Gilad, The Performance File, performance, leadership", "image": "https://www.boazgilad.com/__l5e/assets-v1/52fce45e-5f36-4a6d-99c7-38d39d640ea0/blog-on-momentum.webp", "isBasedOn": "https://boazgilad.substack.com/p/on-momentum", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Boaz Gilad", "url": "https://www.boazgilad.com/" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Boaz Gilad", "url": "https://www.boazgilad.com/" }, "isPartOf": { "@type": "Blog", "name": "The Performance File", "url": "https://www.boazgilad.com/blog" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://www.boazgilad.com/blog/on-momentum#faq", "url": "https://www.boazgilad.com/blog/on-momentum", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What are the three phases of momentum?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The heavy lift, where effort goes in and nothing visible comes out — this is where most people stop. Momentum, where the same effort produces disproportionate results. And coasting, where you're still moving on stored energy while generating none. Knowing which phase you're in determines what to do next." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why is coasting dangerous?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Because it feels exactly like progress. The results from your earlier work are still arriving, the scenery is still moving, and nothing signals a problem until the stored energy runs out. By then you're back at the heavy lift, wondering what changed. Nothing changed — you stopped adding." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Boaz Gilad", "item": "https://www.boazgilad.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "The Performance File", "item": "https://www.boazgilad.com/blog" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "On Momentum", "item": "https://www.boazgilad.com/blog/on-momentum" } ] } ] --- [Boaz Gilad](/) - [Podcast](/podcast) - [Books](/books/zenith-code) - [Speaker Kit](/speaker-kit) Menu [Book To Speak](/#connect) [The Performance File](/blog) Performance June 21, 2026 # On Momentum You are on a downward escalator. Standing still is not maintaining — it's losing ground. Boaz maps the three phases of momentum (heavy lift, momentum, coasting), why coasting is the most dangerous because it still feels like movement, and how top performers learn to manage pace rather than worship speed. [Read the full article](https://boazgilad.substack.com/p/on-momentum)Published on Substack ![On Momentum — The Performance File by Boaz Gilad](/__l5e/assets-v1/52fce45e-5f36-4a6d-99c7-38d39d640ea0/blog-on-momentum.webp) The Short Version ### What this edition is about Boaz's image for effort is a downward escalator: standing still isn't holding position, it's descending at the speed of the machine. Everything you've built has a maintenance cost you didn't agree to and can't decline. He maps three phases. The heavy lift, where nothing appears to move and most people quit. Momentum, where the same effort produces visibly more. And coasting — the dangerous one, because the scenery is still moving past the window even though nothing is being generated. The conclusion isn't to run faster. It's to manage pace deliberately, know which phase you're in, and recognise coasting before the escalator does the arithmetic for you. Key Takeaways - Standing still is not maintaining — everything built carries a maintenance cost. - Three phases: heavy lift, momentum, coasting. - Coasting is the most dangerous because it still feels like movement. - Manage pace deliberately instead of worshipping speed. Who This Is For Teams and operators who've had a good run and can't tell if it's still working. This page is a summary. The full edition — with the stories and the detail — lives on Substack. [Read “On Momentum”](https://boazgilad.substack.com/p/on-momentum) Questions ## On this edition ### What are the three phases of momentum? The heavy lift, where effort goes in and nothing visible comes out — this is where most people stop. Momentum, where the same effort produces disproportionate results. And coasting, where you're still moving on stored energy while generating none. Knowing which phase you're in determines what to do next. ### Why is coasting dangerous? Because it feels exactly like progress. The results from your earlier work are still arriving, the scenery is still moving, and nothing signals a problem until the stored energy runs out. By then you're back at the heavy lift, wondering what changed. Nothing changed — you stopped adding. Continue Reading - [Newer edition ![](/__l5e/assets-v1/0e9a823c-b7d0-46b2-9ee5-00eb19f34644/blog-on-future-trading.webp) ### On Future Trading Almost every meaningful decision you make is a bet placed today on a value you believe might exist tomorrow. ](/blog/on-future-trading) - [Older edition ![](/__l5e/assets-v1/986e3241-e33d-4848-98a2-f4adfb200300/blog-on-vision.webp) ### On Vision A sentence on a wall is not a vision. ](/blog/on-vision) [Subscribe to The Performance File](https://substack.com/@boazgilad) More from Boaz Gilad ## Keep Exploring - [ ### Read The Zenith Code Boaz Gilad's performance playbook for founders and executives who want results that hold. ](/books/zenith-code) - [ ### Listen to the Unmask podcast Candid conversations with high performers about the wins and failures behind their results. ](/podcast) - [ ### Book Boaz to speak Keynotes on performance, discipline and leadership for leaders, teams and peer groups. ](/boaz-gilad-speaking-and-media-kit) Boaz Gilad Speaker | Author | Performance Coach [](https://www.linkedin.com/in/boaz-gilad-2237954/)[](https://www.linkedin.com/in/boaz-gilad-2237954/)[](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573032405826)[](https://www.youtube.com/@UnmaskPodcastOfficial) [boaz@zenithclubhouse.com](mailto:boaz@zenithclubhouse.com) Explore the site - [Boaz Gilad home](/) - [Unmask podcast](/podcast) - [Book: The Zenith Code](/books/zenith-code) - [Book: The Real Estate Millionaire](/books/real-estate-millionaire) - [The Performance File](/blog) - [Speaker kit](/speaker-kit) - [Speaking & media kit deck](/boaz-gilad-speaking-and-media-kit) Copyright © 2026 Boaz Gilad. All Right Reserved.