Working in Cycles: Aligning Your Work With Your 28-Day Rhythm
Your Body Has Its Own Calendar
We plan our lives around meetings, school schedules, and launch dates, but no one ever taught us to plan around our own rhythm. Most women don’t actually know what phase they’re in, and it’s not because we aren’t paying attention. We were raised in a culture that prizes consistency over connection, that tells us to push through even when our energy is asking for something different.
Your body was never meant to run on a straight line. It moves in cycles. When you start working with that rhythm instead of against it, everything changes. Creativity flows easier, rest feels productive, and even your timing starts to sync with the opportunities around you.
Why Working Cyclically Matters
We live in a world built on a linear model of productivity that rewards constant output. But women aren’t meant to perform at the same energy level every single day. We ebb and flow.
When you recognize your rhythm and plan your work accordingly, you find a kind of alignment that feels effortless. It’s the difference between forcing momentum and feeling magnetically pulled by it. This isn’t just about hormones or periods. It’s about learning your natural energy cycles and honoring them as your greatest advantage.
Understanding the Four Phases of Your Cycle
Every month, your body moves through four energetic seasons:
- Menstrual (Days 1–5 / Winter): Energy dips. Your body wants rest, reflection, and space to release what’s no longer needed.
- Follicular (Days 6–13 / Spring): Hormones rise and so does inspiration. This is your yes season—new ideas, brainstorming, and planning thrive here.
- Ovulatory (Days 14–18 / Summer): Confidence peaks. You’re magnetic, expressive, and social, making this a great time for visibility, launches, or collaboration.
- Luteal (Days 19–28 / Autumn): Focus narrows. You’re grounded, detail-oriented, and ready to organize, finish, and tie up loose ends.
These are guidelines, not rules. Your exact timing may differ, so the key is simply noticing what repeats for you.
How to Know What Phase You’re In
Start by marking Day 1 as the first day of your period. That’s your monthly reset point. From there, watch how your energy, focus, and emotions shift week to week.
Keep a short note in your planner or journal:
- How’s my focus today?
- Do I want to be social or quiet?
- What kind of work feels easiest right now?
If you already use an app to track your cycle, I’d love to know which one. I’m collecting reader favorites to recommend in a future post so we can all discover new tools that actually work.
Over time, you’ll start seeing the same energetic patterns repeat, and that awareness alone can completely change how you plan, create, and rest.
Aligning Your Work With Each Phase
| Cycle Phase | Energy Keywords | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Menstrual (Winter) | Intuitive, Restorative | Rest, review goals, journal, vision casting |
| Follicular (Spring) | Fresh, Motivated | Start new projects, brainstorm, plan content |
| Ovulatory (Summer) | Magnetic, Expressive | Collaborate, launch, record podcasts, show up publicly |
| Luteal (Autumn) | Grounded, Focused | Edit, organize, follow through, wrap up details |
If Your Cycle Is Irregular
If your cycle doesn’t follow a typical 28-day pattern, or you’re not cycling regularly, you can still live cyclically. Track your emotional and energetic patterns instead of physical ones.
You might also use the moon’s phases as a guide:
- New Moon = Menstrual (inward reflection)
- Full Moon = Ovulatory (outward expression)
It’s less about perfect timing and more about awareness—trusting that your body is always communicating with you.
If You’re in Perimenopause (or Your Cycle Is Changing)
Cyclical living doesn’t end when your hormones begin to shift. In perimenopause, ovulation can happen earlier or later, and cycles can shorten, lengthen, or even skip entirely. You might notice what feels like a follicular burst one week and a sudden drop the next.
The key is paying attention to patterns rather than dates.
Ask yourself:
- When do I feel most creative or social?
- When do I crave quiet and rest?
- When does my focus sharpen, and when does it soften?
Your rhythm still exists, it’s just more fluid. Some women like to use the moon’s cycle as an anchor while their own pattern changes. Perimenopause isn’t the end of your cyclical nature—it’s a recalibration. Your body is teaching you new timing, and that wisdom is powerful.
A Truer Definition of Productivity
Cyclical work isn’t only about slowing down. It’s about knowing when you’re built to rest and when you’re built to rise.
During ovulation, you might feel unstoppable—magnetic, clear, and ready to make things happen. That’s not coincidence; it’s your peak window of outward energy. When the luteal or menstrual phases arrive, your body naturally pulls you inward to recharge.
Real productivity honors both the expansion and the exhale. You’re not meant to hold the same pace all month long. You’re meant to lead with rhythm.
Closing Reflection
Try tracking your cycle for a month or two and notice what patterns appear. Do certain kinds of work feel easier at specific times? Does your social energy rise and fall?
When you start syncing your workflow with your body’s rhythm, you’ll see that it’s not about doing less. It’s about doing what you’re meant to do, when you’re meant to do it.
What if your productivity didn’t depend on pushing harder, but on trusting your natural timing?