Have you ever noticed that sometimes you feel super motivated to do ALL THE THINGS and like you can conquer the world… only for all that motivation and enthusiasm to drop off a few weeks later?
That’s normal!
When I was seventeen, I was in a Lifeway bookstore and happened to come across a book that mentioned cycle syncing. All these years later I remember one thing it said:
Two weeks after your period you will feel more outgoing due to ovulation.
Or something like that. I went back to buy the book a few weeks later, but couldn’t remember the name!
(If you know of a Christian book that discusses this, please comment it because I’ve been dying to read this book for eight years.)
The concept of different levels of energy throughout the month stuck with me. I began to pay attention to how I was feeling a few weeks after my period. To my amazement, I found that the book was right! I did feel more energetic and sociable a few weeks after my period!
When I began charting my cycle when I was twenty-one, noticing these changes throughout my cycle became easier.
Ovulation doesn’t occur exactly on day 14 in most cycles and I’ve found that I tend to have a longer follicular phase (the phase after your period).
Charting has definitely helped me cycle sync my life! Now I’m constantly aware of which phase I’m in and I use that knowledge to hack my productivity.
How to Cycle Sync Your Productivity
There are technically only two phases in your cycle:
- The follicular phase, which begins cycle day 1 and lasts until ovulation
- The luteal phase, which starts the day after ovulation and lasts until the last day before you start your period.
For the sake of cycle syncing productivity though, I like to consider three phases:
- Menstrual: Your period, starting on cycle day 1
- Follicular: The first day after your period until the last day of peak (ES) cervical mucus
- Luteal: Starts after peak day and lasts until your period starts
I feel quite different during my period versus the rest of my follicular phase, so I tend to think of it as a separate time.
Cycle Syncing: Productivity in the Menstrual Phase
During my period, my body craves rest.
I used to feel guilty about not doing much during my period, but I’ve learned to embrace the rest.
When God created the world, He rested on the 7th day. He later established a Sabbath day for His people. In Leviticus 25, He established the sabbath year- every 7th year the Israelites were to let the land rest.
The concept of sabbath rest isn’t just in the Old Testament. The author of Hebrews reiterates the importance of rest in Hebrews 4.
I have to admit to you, my friend, that I am not good at setting aside a day to truly rest.
Over the past year or so, I’ve come to view my period as a time of rest. An unofficial Sabbath of sorts.
Hormone levels are low during periods and so energy is naturally low too.
So I take time to relax during my period. I read books. I reflect on the past month and think about the weeks to come.
Cycle Syncing: Productivity in the Follicular Phase
By the end of my period, my energy levels are picking up! I crave to create.
During this phase, I LOVE spending time on my hobbies- scrapbooking in particular is a favorite pastime of mine during this phase.
Additionally, I create my Instagram reels during this phase. I like to batch create reels during this phase.
Cleaning no longer seems dull during my follicular phase; I turn up my cleaning playlist and sing while I sweep.
Cycle Syncing: Productivity in the Luteal Phase
Productivity looks different for me after ovulation. My creativity changes- I start to enjoy more stationary tasks, such as planning for the month ahead and analyzing insights.
I enjoy writing during the luteal phase- blog posts, newsletters and just writing in my journal.
And this makes sense to me- as our cycles draw to a close, hormone levels begin to drop. Inward retrospective becomes desirable whereas in my follicular phase I would have found such tasks tedious.
Examples of Cycle Syncing Productivity
I wanted to provide some examples of how this plays out in day-to-day life. The following are examples of cycle syncing as a teacher (because that’s my day job) and then as a blogger/content creator (what I do on the side).
How I Cycle Sync Productivity as a High School Teacher:
- Menstrual Phase: Plan activities that are low energy on me, such as tests, quizzes, and computer activities.
- Follicular Phase: Brainstorm future lesson plan ideas & fun activities to do in the upcoming month.
- Luteal Phase: Write lesson plans; analyze student data.
How I Cycle Sync Productivity as an Instagram Creator & Blogger:
- Menstrual Phase: Rest! Read books. Take a break from posting.
- Follicular Phase: Brainstorm content ideas. Create reels. DM people on Instagram to build connections. Create graphics. Write blog posts & newsletters.
- Luteal Phase: Analyze analytics. Plan for the next month.
Of course, when it comes to teaching there are some tasks such as grading that I have to do all the time regardless of which phase I’m in. But I’ve found I enjoy my job more if I’m proactive and do a lot of prep work for the month ahead during each unique phase.
