As an entrepreneur, there are periods of time when you may need to hustle harder and do whatever it takes to get a project to the finish line or get everything finalised for a launch.
But as a busy CEO, it’s more than important to honour your own energy - not only to grow sustainably and celebrate your wins without feeling burnt out, but to also increase your productivity with ease.
Aligning your efforts with your cyclical energy is a great way of increasing your productivity in a way that feels intuitive. So where to start in order to bring more alignment into your work days? The first step is getting to know your cyclical body.
You follow two different cyclical rhythms: the circadian rhythm and a monthly infradian rhythm - also known as your menstrual cycle.
The circadian rhythm governs your energy levels on a daily basis - it’s affected by hormones such as cortisol, which helps you get your day started in the mornings, insulin, which helps your body keep your blood sugar levels balanced, and melatonin, which helps you wind down, rest and recover in the evenings and nights.
The infradian rhythm, on the other hand, is governed by sex hormones such as estrogen, testosterone and progesterone - all of which impact your energy levels, confidence and so much more.
This monthly rhythm can be further divided into four different phases based on the hormonal fluctuations that your body goes through during your cycle. Knowing the different phases can help you use each of them as a power source in your life and business. Pretty cool, hey?
So let’s look more closely at how you can optimise these different rhythms to bring more energy alignment (and ease) into your business!
Even though we’re surrounded by artificial lights and have the willpower to pull an all-nighter when needed, our bodies and hormones are still influenced by nature around us.
The important thing to know about the circadian rhythm is that higher cortisol levels in the mornings helps you start your workday and get things done, and that’s why mornings are the optimal time to be productive and check things off your list.
To maintain steady energy levels throughout the day, and to help you optimise how you feel throughout your menstrual cycle too, remember to nourish yourself by eating balanced meals regularly and by taking regular breaks. When you nourish yourself, that will always fuel your business too!
Sleep and rest are some of your most important tools as a busy entrepreneur - and my guess is that you’re not just busy, but you’re busy-minded too. So do your best to set clear boundaries with yourself when it comes to finishing your day and tuning into the relax mode, and create an evening routine that helps you support natural melatonin production and wind down.
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Now that you know how to optimise the energy flow each day, let’s take a look at how you can align your energy and efforts with the phases of your menstrual cycle, aka the infradian rhythm.
The first phase of your cycle begins when your period starts. This is when your sex hormone levels are at their lowest and, energetically, you may not feel like your most confident or bubbliest self.
That’s why the first days of your cycle are a great time to incorporate more rest and relaxation into your days, attend to your own needs, and tune into your vision and intuition, which you may notice is heightened in this phase.
Once you start feeling your energy levels rising towards the end of your period, you’re moving into the next phase - the follicular phase. In this phase your body produces an increasing amount of estrogen among other hormones.
The thing to know about estrogen is that it supports the production of feel-good hormones such as serotonin, and it helps you feel more energetic, creative and confident. So energetically, this phase can be optimal for projects that require more effort, showing up with a more extroverted energy and allowing your creative juices to flow by batch creating content or connecting with the vision for your business, for example.
Around the time when your ovaries and brain decide that it’s a good time to ovulate, which can happen at different times every cycle, you move into the ovulation phase. Energetically, this phase starts a few days before your ovulation when you feel your energy levels rising.
Your estrogen levels are reaching their peak just before ovulation, and your testosterone levels are also rising. Testosterone increases the release of another feel-good hormone, dopamine, helping you feel even more confident and attractive.
This phase is the perfect time to increase your efforts and enjoy peak productivity. Remember that you are the expert in your business so see which tasks or projects are the ones that would best benefit from your increased productivity and use your peak energy towards them.
Hormonally, the final phase of your cycle starts right after ovulation and, energetically, this phase begins when you feel your energy levels decreasing. The dominant hormone in the luteal phase is called progesterone which is a beautiful, calming hormone and protects you against the fluctuation of estrogen in this phase - this fluctuation is what can often cause PMS symptoms.
Energetically, the luteal phase is the time when you may want to start retreating, slowing down and creating more meaningful connections and conversations within your community. To support your body’s progesterone production, focus on tasks that require a little less effort and energy, and create space for stress reduction and reflection.
Your inner critic may be a little louder in this phase compared to the other phases so beware of her presence. Instead of believing everything she says, celebrate your accomplishments and assess what areas in your business can be optimised during your next cycle.
My brand’s motto is that every woman is the best expert on her own cyclical body, and I truly believe that when you give yourself space to drop back into your body and tune into your intuition, you automatically know what works best for you.
It’s amazing to have these guidelines and know how your hormones fluctuate throughout the day and through your menstrual cycle, but ultimately, it all comes down to how you feel.
And remember, when you take care of yourself first, that will always flow into all areas of your life - including your business.
Ashton Smith is the CEO and founder of The Awakening, a platform dedicated to helping women in business build intentionally so they can leave a powerful legacy behind. She helps early-stage all the way to established entrepreneurs own their power as CEO, deeply connect with their vision, & sustainably scale their businesses.
