Optimise your productivity through your Menstrual Cycle

What if the key to a successful job and a fulfilling life was found within your menstrual cycle?

In a recent blog post, we talked about understanding why your energy and moods change throughout your menstrual cycle and how to harness the power of your inner seasons.

In this blog post, you will learn how to empower your life as a working woman by scheduling your activities around your cycle so you can optimise your productivity, avoid burnout, and prevent gynaecological conditions from becoming worse or from gaining new ones. 

What it means to be a productive woman today.

We see you. 

There is pressure in today’s society to get ahead, stay on top, and hustle #alldayeveryday. 

This is especially true of women in male-dominated workplaces who are most likely following a man’s approach to scheduling, project planning, and productivity.

Productivity is necessary for success and fulfillment but, at the end of the day, it isn’t always easy. As a woman your mood and energy levels rise and fall throughout your menstrual cycle because of hormones. These fluctuations can make you wish you had scheduled that important business meeting a week later or made time to do some brainstorming a week earlier.

You aren’t meant to follow the schedules of men.

Both men and women have an internal biological clock called the circadian rhythm (the natural 24-hour cycle of physical, mental, and behavioral changes in your body that help carry out essential bodily functions) but women’s bodies follow another biological clock called the infradian rhythm.

An infradian rhythm is a cycle that lasts for more than 24-hours. Your menstrual cycle is an infradian rhythm of about 28 days – or however long your cycle lasts each month.

The single rhythm in men – the 24-hour circadian rhythm – is the reason why the mood and energy of men seem pretty stable throughout the month.

The secondary rhythm in women – the infradian rhythm of the menstrual cycle – affects 6 systems throughout your cycle (brain, metabolism, immune system, microbiome, stress-response system, and reproductive system) and is the reason the mood and energy of women fluctuate throughout the month.

To be expected to follow the same schedule of men goes against your biological system!

That is why we are going to show you how to start following the biochemical schedule of your menstrual cycle and stop following the 24-hour biochemical schedule of men.

Plan with your period!

The biological phases of your menstrual cycle – menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulatory phase, luteal phase – have an inner flow of energy. When you go against the flow of your cycle, that resistance creates stress.

Constant stress can lead to exhaustion and burnout both physically and emotionally, and if you have gynaecological conditions pushing your body can make those conditions worse and even lead to other issues. Exhaustion and stress are linked to gynaecological conditions such as PCOS, endometriosis, infertility, and fibroids. 

Moving with the flow of your menstrual cycle, and not against it, would help you avoid stress and burnout, and naturally give you more opportunities to shine in any workplace. 

The secret to success and to a more fulfilling life could be as simple as knowing when it’s the best time to schedule meetings, take time off, or ask for a raise or promotion.

This is the key to helping you optimise your productivity. Your menstrual cycle is not a disadvantage to getting ahead and being productive….it’s a superpower!

Your blueprint for productivity.

You want to launch a new business, execute everything on your to-do list, and complete a project you’ve been putting off for months. Here is how to get the ball rolling during each phase of your cycle.

Solopreneur

Days 1-5 of your menstrual cycle | Reflection, organizing, and planning.

Estrogen and progesterone levels are at their lowest point. Your energy levels will be lower than at other times in your cycle so use this time to reflect on past work performance, organize your space, and plan out the rest of your month. You can use this time to work solo and recharge your energy for group projects in your follicular phase.

What’s on your calendar:

• Scheduling tasks that use more outward energy (such as meetings, lectures, or interviews) in the ovulatory and follicular phase.
• Brainstorming for projects (during the last few days of your period when you are the most creative).
• Organizing and cleaning up your phone and laptop.
• Organizing your workspace.

This is the best time to evaluate your experiences over the past weeks.

Some good question to reflect upon are:

• How are you getting along with friends, family, and coworkers?
• Do you care about the projects you are currently working on?
• Are there any big changes you need to make moving forward to reserve your energy for things that matter?
• Is your current job/career fulfilling?

This period is essential to avoid stress and burnout throughout the rest of your cycle.

Biggest obstacles to productivity during this phase: 

Fatigue, cramps, bloating. Remember to schedule some time for self-care!

Self-Starter

Days 5-13 of your follicular phase | Creativity and networking.

An increase in estrogen increases your energy, mood, and brainpower. Your creative juices are flowing and your energy is more outward. You may be compelled to take initiative and start new projects and take on new challenges. This is the best time to schedule networking and outreach.

What’s on your calendar:

• Content creation
• Brainstorming
• Starting new projects
• Networking and marketing
• Creating workflows and mind maps
• Outreach through emails and phone calls

Take advantage of the spike in energy!

Biggest obstacle to productivity during this phase: 

The fast increase in estrogen might cause anxiety. Make sure you take breaks throughout the day to practice deep breathing.

CEO

Days 10-18 of your ovulatory phase | Communication and collaboration.

Estrogen and testosterone are at their peak and progesterone is low. You may feel the most confident and have more outward energy during this phase! Now is also the best time to ask for a raise, promotion, or go for a job interview and show the world who’s boss.

What’s on your calendar:

• Workshops 
• Masterclasses
• Meetings
• Lectures
• Interviews
• In-person networking events
• Social media lives

Biggest obstacle to productivity during this phase: 

This short phase is only 24 hours! Don’t worry if you can’t schedule everything in, just pick the task that’s most important to you.

ROI Queen

Days 14-28 of your luteal phase | Return-on-investments.

Estrogen sharply falls and progesterone rises, peaks, and then falls again. This is the longest phase of your cycle. Your energy will start to die down and now is the time to gather the rewards of the investments you made with your high-energy throughout the past few weeks.

What’s on your calendar:

• Non-social tasks
• Investing in courses or books that move you closer to your goals
• Examining projects and workflows
• Wrapping up projects
• Turning in projects
• Cleaning up office space

Your inward energy will be more focused on remarks and problems throughout the previous days. Take some time to write things down so you can reflect on them in the menstrual phase.

Biggest obstacle to productivity during this phase: 

Premenstrual symptoms. Prioritize sleep to help you reduce symptoms and to keep you from getting overtired.

Be Strategic.

We aren’t telling you that you absolutely can’t schedule that important business meeting during the last half of your luteal phase, we are only suggesting when it’s the best time to do it.

When gynaecological conditions affect productivity.

Gynaecological conditions can certainly make it harder to create a productive work schedule. But don’t get discouraged and do the best you can to find the workflow that is best for you. The most important thing is to make sure you have a schedule that helps you avoid stress and burnout that can make your condition worse.

Woom.Health wants to empower you to take control of your health through education and self care so you can get back into your flow and optimise your productivity.

Share your experience!

• Have you ever tried planning your work schedule around your menstrual cycle? 
• What was your experience like and did you feel more productive