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To plan with your cycle can seem like a HUGE task! We’ve broken it down to help you navigate the steps. Knowing how to work with your body shouldn’t be hard!
The best time to plan for your cycle is the first day of menstruation. The first day of your period is also the first day of your cycle. If you know how long your cycles are you can estimate your cycle for the first couple of cycles. After that you should be able to see a pattern over the course of a few months. The main guideposts when mapping your cycle are menstruation and ovulation. If you know what day of your cycle you typically ovulate on you can go from there. If not here’s a guide for you to estimate your first couple cycles.
| Typical Cycle Length | Approximate Ovulation Day |
| 25 days | Cycle Day 11 |
| 28 days | Cycle Day 14 |
| 30 days | Cycle Day 16 |
| 33 days | Cycle Day 19 |
Step 1
Map out your Menstrual Phase. This will be the first day of your bleed. Estimate how many days you will bleed for.
Step 2
Mark your estimated ovulation day, a couple days before and a couple days after for your Ovulation Phase.
Step 3
Mark the days between menstrual and ovulation with a color for the Follicular Phase.
Step 4
Mark all the days after your ovulation phase with the color for the Luteal Phase.
Congratulations! You have estimated your 4 phases for this cycle!
Step 5
Next, consider your cycle goal. What are the things you need to do this cycle to bring this goal to a reality. Create a To-Do List of all of these items.
Step 6
Compare your To-Do List with the sample tasks for each phase. Decide which phase and day you’d like to try these To-Dos and put them on your calendar.
Step 7
As the cycle goes on make sure you are checking in with your cycle goal and tasks often. Notice how it feels to do certain tasks in each phase of your cycle. Remember that your body is the ultimate authority. Does that task feel good in this phase? Are there tasks that don’t particularly line up? Can you add in phase specific self-care when you are doing tasks that don’t feel good in each phase? What self-care ideas feel good for you in each phase? Can you give yourself extra spaciousness and time off right before and during menstruation?
Sample Cycle from The Agenda. App! – Pink is Menstrual, Purple is Follicular, Red is Ovulation, and Peach is Luteal
When looking at your calendar you should be able to see at a glance which phase you will be at each point in your cycle. This can help you identify possible energy levels and moods for business events, family events, holidays… etc. All of these factor in to successfully plan for your cycle.
Pay attention to your calendar to which phases these fall into to predict how you will feel. Will you feel introverted or extroverted? Will you have high energy or low energy? Over time as you connect with your phases you will become in touch with how you will feel during each and how business and life tasks connect with those phases.
During and after your cycle take good notes about how tasks feel in each phase. You can use the resource below to track energy levels, motivation levels, introversion, extroversion, and other symptoms.
Check out this free resource about daily cycle tracking and how to implement it into your life, it also talks about how to get started and provides a really cool cycle wheel and symptom wheel!
Share your findings and “A-ha!” moments in the Cycle (Re) Introduction Facebook Group!
Get an overview on the 4 phases to learn more!