How “Innsaei” Supports Better Decisions

Listening to Your Intuition in a Busy, Uncertain World

If you run a business, lead a team or juggle a demanding professional role, you probably make dozens of decisions every day. Some can be analysed on a spreadsheet. Others sit in a grey zone where the data is incomplete, time is limited and people are involved.

In those moments, many entrepreneurs and professionals quietly rely on something harder to define: a sense in the body, a gut feeling, a quiet inner “yes” or “no.” We usually call it intuition, then second-guess ourselves and go straight back to our inbox.

In a TED talk, Icelandic author and change-maker Hrund Gunnsteinsdottir explores an Icelandic concept for intuition called innsaei and why listening to your intuition can be a crucial part of navigating the future – alongside analysis, not instead of it.

Why listening to your intuition matters in a changing world

We are living in a period of rapid technological, environmental and social change. Gunnsteinsdottir refers to this as a “decisive decade” for climate and systems change. Many people are trying to transform organisations, industries or policies. As she points out, systems don’t change themselves. People do.

She suggests that innsaei can support us in at least three ways:

Seeing the big picture
Intuition helps us sense how things are interconnected, beyond the narrow boundaries of departments, job titles or sectors.
Staying grounded in the present
Being more in charge of our attention allows us to respond more wisely to the unexpected, rather than reacting automatically.
Connecting across silos
As we immerse ourselves in meaningful work and connect dots beyond our usual mental “boxes,” creativity and performance can improve.

To change external systems in sustainable ways, we also need to tend to our internal systems – nervous system, values, attention, imagination.

Small ways to balance intuition and reason in your own work

If you’re curious about how to apply these ideas, you might experiment with small, realistic steps rather than dramatic overhauls:

Pause when your body speaks. When you notice tension, heaviness, a knot in your stomach or a quiet “no,” see if you can stay curious for a moment instead of pushing past it immediately.
Keep an attention journal for a week. Jot down moments when something feels especially alive or especially off, and see what patterns emerge.
Build in brief pockets of “being.” A walk without a podcast, a few slow breaths between meetings, sitting with a coffee without a screen – notice what surfaces when you are not actively doing.
Sense-check big decisions. After you’ve done the rational analysis for a significant decision, ask yourself: “What does my intuition say about this? What feels congruent with my values?”

Intuition is not a replacement for analysis, evidence or professional advice. It is one part of our human intelligence that can sit alongside reason, helping us connect the dots we might otherwise miss.

A gentle closing thought (and how this relates to support)

Gunnsteinsdottir closes her talk by reminding us that we need our imaginations, grounded in innsaei, to move toward better futures. If we cannot imagine those futures, it becomes much harder to create them.

For entrepreneurs and busy professionals, learning to listen to your intuition can be part of building a more sustainable way of working and living – one that honours both your analytical strengths and your deeper values.

This post is for general information and reflection only, and is not a substitute for personalised psychological or medical advice. If you are curious about how these ideas might apply in your own life or work, you are welcome to reflect on them privately, explore them with trusted people in your life, or discuss them with a suitably qualified professional.

We are living through a period of rapid technological, environmental, and social change. Gunnsteinsdottir describes this as a “decisive decade” for climate and systems change. A lot of people are trying to transform organisations, industries, and policies. But as she points out, systems don’t change themselves. People do.

One idea she offers as support is innsaei, a kind of inner knowing that helps us tune in to what we sense, notice, and understand beneath the noise. She suggests it can help in at least three practical ways.

1) Seeing the big picture

Intuition can help us sense how things connect beyond the narrow boundaries of departments, job titles, or sectors. It’s the ability to step back and notice patterns, relationships, and ripple effects, not just isolated problems.

2) Staying grounded in the present

When we’re more in charge of our attention, we tend to respond more wisely to the unexpected. Instead of reacting automatically, we can pause long enough to choose a better next step. That matters in complex environments where the “right” move is rarely obvious.

3) Connecting across silos

As we immerse ourselves in meaningful work and look beyond our usual mental boxes, creativity and performance often improve. New solutions appear when we stop trying to force them and start noticing what’s already there.

And here’s the important bit: if we want to change external systems in sustainable ways, we also need to tend to our internal systems. That includes your nervous system, values, attention, and imagination. Otherwise, we try to build a better world while running on stress, urgency, and depleted focus. The results don’t tend to last.

Small ways to balance intuition and reason in your work

If you’re curious about applying this, you don’t need dramatic overhauls. Small, realistic experiments are usually more effective, and more sustainable.

Pause when your body speaks.
When you notice tension, heaviness, a knot in your stomach, or a quiet “no,” stay curious for a moment instead of pushing past it. You’re not treating it as truth. You’re treating it as data.

Keep an attention journal for a week.
Jot down moments when something feels especially alive or especially off. Keep it simple. A few words is enough. At the end of the week, look for patterns.

Build tiny pockets of “being.”
Try a walk without a podcast. Take a few slow breaths between meetings. Drink your coffee without a screen. Notice what surfaces when you’re not actively doing.

Sense-check big decisions.
After you’ve done the rational analysis for something significant, ask: What does my intuition say? What feels aligned with my values? What feels slightly out of place, even if it looks good on paper?

Intuition isn’t a replacement for analysis, evidence, or professional advice. It’s one part of human intelligence that can sit alongside reason, helping you connect dots you might otherwise miss.

A closing thought

Gunnsteinsdottir ends her talk with a reminder that we need imagination, grounded in innsaei, to move toward better futures. If we can’t imagine those futures, it becomes much harder to create them.

For entrepreneurs and busy professionals, learning to listen to your intuition can be part of building a more sustainable way of working and living. Not less ambitious. Just more aligned with what matters, and less reliant on running yourself into the ground to get there. As we step into 2026, may you find small, courageous ways to live a little closer to your values and lean into the strengths that have carried you this far.

This post is for general information and reflection only. It is not a substitute for personalised psychological or medical advice. If you’re curious about how these ideas apply in your own life or work, you might reflect on them privately, explore them with trusted people, or discuss them with a suitably qualified professional.