Believing you can get more done by prioritizing rest and personal fulfillment is a game changer. One of the main keys for unlocking this point of view is menstrual cycle syncing, or aligning your work with your body. Your menstrual cycle is more than just a physical change that annoys you every month. The mental and emotional shifts that seem to limit you during your period can instead support your entrepreneurial lifestyle and productivity goals.
Menstrual cycle syncing is about allowing your natural rhythm to support your personal and professional endeavors. The problem with not understanding your rhythm is you end up forcing yourself to follow a strict work schedule that goes against your body’s true nature.
As a result, your cycle becomes a stereotype of moodiness and uncontrollable emotions, instead of a place to gain insight and greater productivity.
The Stigma of Periods
Throughout society, it might be normal to dump negativity on women’s menstrual cycles. But around here, we don’t do that.
“Even today, the notion that a woman’s biology can befuddle her brain is a staple of popular culture. If a woman is moody, she’s asked if it’s ‘that time of the month’. If she’s feeling sexual, she’s told she might be ovulating.”
BBC.COM
Let’s make it clear: Your menstrual cycle is not a curse.
It’s a necessary part of your physiology. It’s up to you to use your reproductive system to your advantage, as you work on becoming more productive in business.
“The next time someone asks if you’re hormonal, you can say yes – but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
BBC.COM
What Are the Four Phases of Your Menstrual Cycle?
Some consider your menstrual phase to be the first part of your cycle, while others say it’s the follicular phase. However you look at it, your menstrual cycle occurs in this sequence every 28-30 days:
- Menstrual phase
- Follicular phase
- Ovulatory phase (ovulation)
- Luteal phase
(Keep in mind that I’m skipping over exceptions like menopause, pregnancy, irregular cycles, hormonal defects, etc.)
Ready for a mini physiology lesson?
Menstrual Phase
If the egg that was released during ovulation did not become fertilized by a sperm, then the uterine lining sheds. This is why you bleed from your uterus each month.
Follicular Phase
Follicles grow on the surface of your ovaries, in preparation for another potential pregnancy (AKA fertilization by sperm).
Ovulatory Phase
Typically, only one egg is released from one follicle. The egg moves from the ovary through the fallopian tube and into the uterus. There the egg waits to be fertilized by a sperm.
Luteal Phase
Your uterine lining thickens in preparation for potential implantation, which results in pregnancy. If implantation does not occur, then the egg dies and will soon be released during the menstrual phase.
All of these changes are made possible through natural hormone fluctuations, which are affected by nutrition, stress levels, and daily lifestyle.
Now that we have a [super brief] overview of the menstrual cycle, let’s consider how you might try to sync up with it.
What Is the Goal of Menstrual Cycle Syncing?
Menstrual cycle syncing isn’t just another thing to keep track of in your busy life. The overall advantage of cycle syncing is it can make your life easier both personally and professionally, by leveraging your fluctuating strengths throughout the month.
There are multiple aspects to cycle syncing: eating, exercise, rest, and work.
In this post, we’re focusing only on the work aspect. I want you to walk away knowing how to creatively adjust your schedule to make the most of your energy throughout the four phases. I think you’ll have an easier time managing and completing your projects and tasks, even when life hits you with surprises.
Before we get into specific to-do lists, let’s look at the connection between brain function and the four menstrual phases.
How Do the Four Phases Impact Your Mental Energy?
Overall, there is still more scientific research to be done to determine a direct relationship between mental performance and the four menstrual cycle phases. But there is some evidence that points us in a general direction.
Okay. Ready for more physiology?
It is highly possible that your hippocampus (inside the brain) accounts for higher social energy during the follicular and ovulatory phases.
“Evidence is mounting that the hippocampus is vital to social abilities, since being able to remember your own experiences can help you to understand the motivations of others. The region gets bigger each month when more female hormones are floating around.”
BBC.COM
A second way your menstrual cycle affects the mind is through your brain’s left and right hemispheres.
Have you heard the idea that some people are left-brain thinkers, while others are right-brain thinkers? Well, it’s also likely that your ability to tap into both sides of your brain is strengthened during your follicular and luteal phases.
In this sense, your abilities to think both logically and creatively are less limited during your follicular and luteal phases than they are during your menstrual and ovulatory phases.
“A woman’s tendency to use both sides [of the brain] becomes more extreme when estrogen and progesterone levels increase each month.”
BBC.COM
Let’s Not Be Superstitious About Menstrual Cycle Syncing
With that said, the correlation between particular moments within the menstrual cycle and improved brain function is not 100% clear.
“It is unclear whether the negative experience of mood and psychological symptoms affects cognitive abilities, or whether it is an underlying hormonal dysregulation directly impacting cognition.”
Brain Sciences
Basically, this quote is asking:
Is it your elevated mood (and a lack of annoying periods) that helps you work faster and feel more social? Or is there a behind-the-scenes change that directly affects your brainpower?
These are interesting questions to explore.
I take this gray area into consideration when offering a new way for you to organize your tasks and projects. The intention behind sharing menstrual cycle syncing with you is not to restrict you and say you’ve gotta do things one way for the rest of your life.
Let’s face it: Menstrual cycle syncing requires more space in the world of scientific research.
But even without the guarantee of research, I think it’s important to honor your menstrual cycle and allow your body’s changes to play a role in your calendar.
Again – this isn’t superstition. Just because you choose not to sync with your menstrual cycle doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be less productive than those who practice cycle syncing.
Alrighty! We got the disclaimers out of the way.
Now, let’s look at this 4-part system that will help you create content, network, and build your brand, in alignment with your cycle.
How Do I Use Menstrual Cycle Syncing for My Business?
With all of the above monthly changes in mind, let’s look at how to align your work with your natural rhythm:
Menstrual Phase
Now’s the time to go inward and reflect. Give yourself extra grace and flexibility as you bleed. Honor the fact that you may require extra rest for several days.
During your menstrual phase, you can:
- Conduct a monthly review
- Practice vision mapping
- Make intuitive decisions
- Repost old content
- Read a book about your industry
- Conduct a SWOT analysis for the upcoming month
- Take a social media break
- Research upcoming networking events
Follicular Phase
Your body is gearing up for higher-energy days and creative work sessions. Now’s the time to lean into batched processes and repeatable tasks, rather than jumping between various types of work.
During your follicular phase, you can:
- Batch your copywriting
- Batch your video filming
- Batch your client calls
- Batch your podcast recording
- Schedule upcoming content
- Hold coffee shop meetings
- Design social media graphics
- Plan a social media live stream
Ovulatory Phase
At this point, you may feel more motivated to put yourself out there, whether it’s in person or on the internet. As opposed to your menstrual phase, take this time to leave it all on the court…stop hiding…do the darn thing!
During your ovulatory phase, you can:
- Facilitate team meetings
- Conduct sales calls
- Conduct team hiring
- Enjoy a photoshoot
- Complete a social media live stream
- Post bold and daring social media captions
- Attend a networking event
- Hold a business strategy session
Luteal Phase
Ready to start going inward again? This is when your body requires energy to either prepare for pregnancy or release an egg that dies during menstruation. Get your logical tasks in order, and don’t be surprised if you come off as more critical than ever.
During your luteal phase, you can:
- Create monthly reports
- Edit your photos and videos
- Record your website analytics
- Complete accounting tasks
- Organize your workspace
- Organize your digital files
- Conduct keyword research
- Get your email inbox to zero
Wrap-Up: Increasing Productivity With Menstrual Cycle Syncing
It’s time to honor our menstrual cycles as more than just a pain in the rear that comes around every 30 days. If you give it a chance, perhaps you’ll witness yourself becoming more productive and energetically in tune as you start experimenting with menstrual cycle syncing.
But wait! Beyond just talking about it…how do you tangibly begin cycle syncing? It all starts with tracking your cycle. This means writing down how long each of your phases lasts in your calendar. (Not how long they “should” last, but literally how long they last in your body.)
Next, use a planner or journal to fill in your business projects and tasks in alignment with your phases. This way, you’re not wondering what kind of work to assign yourself within a given week or month.
Before we end this, I’d love to share my menstrual cycle syncing planner with you! This downloadable PDF helps you navigate each of the four phases of your menstrual cycle as a busy entrepreneur.
No more randomly scheduling your meetings, projects, and tasks. Instead, align your business with your varying levels of productivity, social energy, and rest within a given month.
Further Reading on KatQuintana.com: If you’d like to implement more self-care into your productivity plan, check out these sustainable, ethically made gifts (for yourself 😃) and read my post about using caffeine for creativity.
Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes only, not to be taken as medical advice. KQ Writing Studio may receive affiliate compensation for purchases through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. You can read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy. This website is not intended to provide financial advice. This is for entertainment only.
