Cycle Syncing: The Biological Secret That Will 10x Your Productivity

“Don’t think about making women fit the world- think about making the world fit women.” – Gloria Steinem

Me Before Cycle Syncing 

I’m going to be honest with you. For a long time, I thought I was just a lazy person. 

I would spend at least half the month steeped in a cocktail of anger, depression, tiredness, everybody-hates-me-ness, and the other half recovering. 

I was always tired. I was often sad. 

I frequently wondered why I couldn’t just sit down and study, write, ideate, and create. 

One part of me assumed it was “teenage brain”. The other part assumed life was just a consistently difficult experience, and I simply hadn’t developed enough discipline to get everything done.

Enter: Cycle Syncing

Gradually, I began to try a new approach- scheduling creative and analytical work at different points in the month, supplementing with magnesium during my luteal and menstrual phases, having four separate grocery lists for whatever phase my hormones were in.

I was cycle syncing- adapting my eating, working, exercising, and social interactions to fit my hormones rather than forcing myself to show up the exact same way every day. 

Today, I want to tell you some of the lessons I learned from this process- lessons that will hopefully make you a more creative problem-solver, or maybe- if your hormones work on a daily cycle and not a monthly- more aware of how to support those around you. 

PSA: You aren’t lazy. 

There is a myth that to be a high-achieving person, your daily routine must consist of waking up at 5am, spending three hours at the gym, running uphill to work (uphill both ways), and cranking out 25 hours of deep work without taking breaks. 

Okay, maybe this is extreme, but it is not too far from how most of us imagine the gold standard of productivity. 

The problem here can be boiled down to one word: hormones. 

While male hormones work on a 24-hour cycle, female hormones simply don’t, and this makes a big difference toward how males and females should each optimize their performance at different tasks. 

For men, with testosterone peaking in the morning, the 5am wake-up call to do deep work and intense workouts makes perfect sense. 

For women, on the other hand, not quite. 

So today, I will be talking to those of us with female hormone cycles about how I learned to harness my hormones to be a more creative problem-solver. 

My hope? To help you harness your hormones too.

Let’s get started. 

#1: Track, observe, adjust.

The first step to addressing your specific needs in relation to what your hormones are doing is to know what phase of your hormone cycle you are in. 

Because this is a gradual process, there are several approaches you can use to help with this, and ultimately, the best way to gain awareness is to understand what each phase feels like for you and what factors might influence this (e.g. dietary, exercise, mental health, etc.).

To begin, you can use an app like Clue to track your periods. Then, when you’re planning each week, you can log in, check what phase of your cycle it says you’re in- follicular, ovulation, luteal or menstrual-  and plan accordingly. 

For example, in the follicular and ovulatory phases, you are likely to feel more energized and sociable, so you could aim to schedule networking events, dinner parties, of other get-togethers then. On the other hand, you might plan more reflective, gentle activities during the luteal and menstrual phase, such as that yoga class you’ve been wanting to make it to, or that quiet spa day you have been needing. In work, you could use the luteal and menstrual phase for organizational, strategic, or creative tasks, and the follicular and ovulatory phases for problem-solving and collaborative tasks. 

Then, as you begin to experiment with what tasks your energy levels are more inclined to at each phase, you can fine-tune your scheduling to your own hormones.

Cycle Syncing Tips: Awareness For Each Phase

All:

• Use a period tracker like Flo or Clue

Follicular Phase:

• During this phase, you are likely to feel highly energized. 
• You will likely see little to no discharge.
• Roughly days 6-13

Ovulatory Phase:

• During this phase, you are likely to see stretchy, clear and wet discharge. 
• You are likely to feel very energized when in this phase (more than in any other phase).
• Roughly days 14-16

Luteal Phase:

• During this phase, you might experience sudden mood shifts due to the sudden drop in estrogen from ovulation. Symptoms like PMS might suggest you are in this phase. 
• You might also notice more white, creamy discharge. 
• Roughly days 17-28

Menstrual Phase:

• Easy to track- this is when you’re on your period! You can use this as a reference point for when the other phases are happening. 
• Roughly days 1-5

#2: Ride the energy wave. 

When you live in a female body, there is a consistent fluctuation in your energy levels that you can expect pretty much every month. 

What does this mean for you?

You can roughly predict how much energy you will have over the next week, and when you will be more “in the mood” for certain activities. 

In a world designed for male hormones, this idea might seem strange.

But if you yourself have a body that doesn’t work this way, realizing that your energy levels are on a 28-day (ish) cycle can completely revolutionize how you think about “laziness”, “hustle”, and productivity overall. 

The best approach, in my opinion?

Ride the wave. 

When you undergoing the extremely energy-intensive process of menstruation, let yourself rest. Accept that your body is putting a lot of energy towards shedding the lining of your uterus, and that might mean you get less done those days. You will not go so intense in the gym. You will need more sleep. It’s okay. 

On the other hand, harness the energetic high of the follicular and ovulatory phase. Go out with friends. Go on that weekend trip. Batch-create content, or meals, or new experiences. 

Cycle Syncing Tips: How To Ride The Energy Wave

Follicular Phase:

• Your most experimental and mentally-flexible phase – try new routines and ideas at this time. 

Ovulatory Phase:

• Your social butterfly is unleashed- use it to connect meaningfully.
• Lean into boldness. 
• Don’t overschedule yourself. A big dip in your energy is coming up. 

Luteal Phase:

• Frontload your work early in this phase so you can spend more time resting towards the end. 
• Prioritize editing, decluttering, and organizational tasks. 
• Limit unnecessary social interactions.

Menstrual Phase:

• Build in “buffer days” on your calendar.
• Prioritize rest and hydration, and view rest as productive. 

#3: There’s a time to be a social butterfly & time to be a hermit crab.

As an introvert, my natural habitat will always be at home, in my sweatpants, curled up with a book. 

That said if I’m going to register for a networking event, I will get much more out of it if I go durning my follicular phase, as I will be less self-conscious and much more sociable than if I go during my luteal phase. 

This willingness can also be influenced by diet (e.g. Many women experience magnesium deficiencies during their luteal phase, leading to symptoms like PMS. Magnesium supplementation can help with this.), exercise (e.g. Strength-training, cardio, and yoga can each significantly mitigate your emotional state at different points in your cycle), and general stress levels.

Cycle Syncing Tips: Dealing With Other Humans

Follicular & Ovulatory Phases:

• Schedule meetups, dates, and collaborative work during this phase—you’re more outgoing and mentally sharp.

Luteal & Menstrual Phases:

• Set boundaries around plans—this is a “nesting” time.
• You might be more sensitive to conflict; try not to schedule emotionally charged conversations late in this phase.
• Say “no” freely—this is a great time to withdraw and reset.
• If you need connection, prioritize low-key, comforting company.

#4: Rest is an opportunity for growth. 

Everyone has ideas for how to stay “productive” when your energy is high, but what do you do when your energy levels are low (besides sleep)?

In my experience, it helps to consider two types of energy here- physical energy and emotional energy. 

During the luteal phase, emotional energy is low, and I tend to feel more sensitive. During the menstrual phase, on the other hand, my physical energy is low and my emotional energy is moderate. 

However, there is strength in sensitivity, as cliche as it sounds. In my experience, this is a great time to do creative work, organize my schedule, and complete any administrative tasks I might have been procrastinating on.

For the type of low energy characteristic of the menstrual phase, on the other hand, it is a great time to do slower exercises, such as gentle walks or taking time to stretch. 

Cycle Syncing Tips: How to Rest & How To Push

Follicular Phase:

• Perfect for: brainstorming, planning projects, starting habits, trying new things.
  
• Avoid: intense decision-making about rest or relationships—your mood is higher than it will be later in the cycle.

Ovulatory Phase:

• Perfect for: visibility (presentations, launches), collaborative work, pitching.
  
• Avoid: major decisions about rest or future goals—you may feel overly optimistic.
  

Luteal Phase:

• Perfect for: editing, finishing tasks, checking details, home organization.
  
• Avoid: high-stimulation environments or long days packed with people—protect your energy.

Menstrual Phase:

• Perfect for: reflection, journaling, spiritual practices, evaluating what’s working or not.
  
• Avoid: major meetings, demanding tasks, or making long-term decisions unless absolutely necessary.

Thought to Action 

1. Label your week by phase (follicular, ovulatory, luteal, menstrual) and try aligning your to-do list to match.
2. Consider working in femtech to solve problems in women’s health, which is sure to be highly lucrative. 
3. Learn the four phases of the female hormone cycle —get familiar with what you or your partner/friend/team might be going through.
4. Normalize conversations about periods and energy—mention it casually to reduce shame and improve empathy.
5. Use journaling to monitor your emotions, energy levels, and productivity at different points in your cycle.

Sources

https://helloclue.com/articles/cycle-a-z/wet-sticky-what-your-discharge-is-telling-you

https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/stages-of-menstrual-cycle

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/menstrual-cycle-phases