When our work inspires us, time is our most valuable commodity. New ideas, established projects and evolving priorities compete for attention. In an odd paradox, we can spend a lot of time trying to save time looking into the latest time and priority management tools.

Surprisingly, my studies in yoga and Ayurveda have revealed a new time management secret: Hacking my home life is my best tool for freeing time and focus for my work life.“Hacking” is a way to describe looking for new ways of doing things to increase efficiency. At home, this could mean cleaning in a different way or shopping for groceries online. For me it means getting smart about my self care.

Decision Making Fatigue- Getting Lost in the Mundane

Every day we navigate choices at home and work. Some of them impact our family and relationships, others our health, and some have a ripple effect on our career. Good decisions can have positive effects on our income and career trajectory. At the same time, on any given day we have limited capacity to focus, assess, and make well thought-out decisions.

One of my recent reads- “The One Thing”-  illustrates this brilliantly by describing a review of decisions made by Judges within the Israeli court system. The study showed that the judges made drastically different decisions depending on what time of day they made the ruling and how recently they had eaten. Little, seemingly inconsequential things, seem to matter. When we run out of staying power we turn towards our defaults decisions- the behaviours and choices we are familiar with but which may not result in the desired outcomes. The success of our work is then determined less by our knowledge, skill and experience and more by how much mental energy our day has already consumed. Our daily habits matter.

Making “Default” Behaviour Work for Us

Knowing we have limited capacity each day, what could happen if we re-designed the time we spend AT HOME to create greater capacity at work?  What if we eliminated decisions about our most mundane daily tasks- exercise, eating, and other self care- so all our mental stamina was reserved for solving our most important challenges?

Introducing Routine

Routine. “A sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program.” (Dictionary.com)

One of the reasons I was drawn to learn more about Ayurveda was Dinacharya-  a simple routine of daily self-care habits.   This seems ironic given most of my life I have instinctively resisted routine-  I rarely committed to doing anything consistently at the same time or on the same day. I went to the gym when I was motivated. I wrote when I was inspired. Ayurveda taught me to understand this tendency through the lens of the doshas. My airy vata nature leads me to move like the wind between passions, projects and even emails in my inbox without rhyme or reason.

Why Routine Matters

In Ayurveda the element of air reflects movement, change, and diversity. Those of us who are more air element than earth element naturally gravitate to a lack of routine.  We can be in a constant state of re-assessing what we are doing and what we need to do next, creating a lot of inefficiencies as we navigate our decisions for the day.

So what does this have to do with work?

Vata imbalances are exacerbated by use of electronics, movement through space, and a life of complexity and “doing more.”  Many of us work with computers in knowledge-based careers, exacerbating our potential for vata imbalance and making it even harder to focus and make decisions. The very nature of our very work puts us at risk for being less successful in our work day.  One remedy? Take every-day activities like our morning self care and turn it into an automatic routine so that our brain power can be used at the office.

The Challenge of Creating Routine

Changing behavior – initiating new ways of doing things – can be hard to implement and even harder to sustain. I’ve learned that the key to changing behaviour and creating routine is making use of habit changing tools to implement and sustain these rhythms.

My Favorite Tips For Hacking Your Home Life

• Find A Community

The biggest gains I see in my self- care courses happen when the people I am helping connect into a bigger group. By tapping into the wisdom of our own local thrive-oriented community, as well as the books, podcasts and online resources offered by the larger Yoga Healer community, we become much more capable of evolving and changing our habits.  One-to-one connection also helps. I encourage students to form accountability partnerships with other students.  This can work at work too- move into conversation with a friend or colleague who is on a similar path. Turn that into a weekly accountability conversation in the same way that you touch base with your project team.  By using the same kind of muscle you would for an important work project it can give you both more leverage to create shift.

• Start small

Start small- very, very small- so that it is nearly impossible to resist the next step.  David Allen of Getting Things Done teaches us how to start with the smallest “next action” (or kaizen).  If we can’t get moving on a goal, the action we are resisting may be too big. Working out at the gym for an hour every day before you head to the office is daunting.  Doing 5 minutes of sun salutations on your yoga mat at home- less so. We experiment with one small change.  And then another. And learn that a day-by-day 1% improvement effectively creates the shift we want.

Acknowledge Resistance

Resistance is ubiquitous. We know we should be doing more self care, but we spend critical time and energy weighing the pros and cons of our daily workout. Get clear and notice when you are in that debate. Close off the chatter and do the self care. Recognize the impulse to move ahead, name the negative chatter as resistance, and DO IT ANYWAYS. Eliminate the debate at home so your can think clearly at work.

I love my work.  Finding enough time to be the inspiring, focussed and visionary leader I want to be has been a challenge. Time management systems, business coaching and a strong team have given me some traction. Who would have guessed that creating a solid, replicable morning and bedtime routine was what I really needed to uplevel my work life. Hacking my home life is my new secret weapon.

The nagging voice in our head urges us to make another list, to schedule another play date or dinner, to get the laundry done before we head out for the long weekend camping trip. The voice inside our head leads us through a barrage of tasks, stripping us of the joys of spontaneity, yet enticingly defining us as “master multi-taskers”.

We grin and bear it. We post another instagram pic of ourselves in the shirt that says “Goal Digger” or “But first, coffee” or “Run Now, Wine Later” or “BeastMode”, like we have to be balls to the wall 110 percent of the time. Then later we’ll get wasted to forget this hellish day. It’s exhausting just watching this chaos. And we seem completely unaware of how to slow down.

Of course, anyone who is into health & wellness at any level has heard of this one thing that can really help to calm the crazy. This powerful practice, with the immense ability to help us quiet those voices in our heads, and let go of all the things.

Say it with me now – MEDITATION. Yes, yes, that’s the one.

Now you might read this and think a lot of things. You might have a lot of justifications why meditation isn’t your jam. So I’m here to unpack some of your stories for you.

Top 3 Meditation Excuses

1. “Oh ya, nope. Tried it. Didn’t work. Not for me.” – I used this line. Before discovering that – AMAZINGLY – just because you tried something once and didn’t succeed, doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t try, try again! So the day/time/position/method/setting you tested out meditation in didn’t provide the results you were seeking… Lucky for you, there are many many methods of getting out of your head and into your breath (keep reading for a few options).
2. “I’m too busy to meditate” – You know who is huge into meditating? Tony Robbins. Ever heard of him? Massively successful motivational speaker who’s written 4 best selling books, and generally kicks ass every 12-14 hour day spent motivating the masses? Ya that guy finds time to meditate. Know who else meditates every day? Oprah. You know that lady must have a pretty full plate. Knowing that people like them find the time kinda made me feel silly about using this line. We’re not too busy, we just don’t make it a priority (also, I discovered that the “I’m too busy for xyz” line almost always translates to “I’m not making that a priority”).
3. “I can’t stop thinking” – This is a full on message that meditation is what your body sorely needs! Overthinking is merely a habit, just like all the others things we do in a day. But it is 100% possible to retrain your brain to not only settle into silence, but to LOVE it.

There is a zen proverb that says:

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day – unless you’re too busy; then you should sit for an hour.”

Now, I won’t accept a lot of justification in not having any kind of meditation practice, but oh my goodness I can certainly say with two kids under 5, a full time job, YHC Certification training, starting a business, and writing these beautiful blogs… I do not have 1 hour in which I can place priority on meditation.

Luckily for us there are many beautiful steps on the path to the perfect meditation practice, all of which provide ample benefits.

The Stepping Stones to Your Mindfulness Practice

1. Yoga Nidra Sleep Meditation – There are endless free recordings online to help decompress, quiet your mind, and breathe into all areas of your body, preparing you for restful sleep. This is a great place to start because it doesn’t take any time out of your day. When you’re ready for bed, just pop in your headphones and drift off to peaceville.
2. Guided Morning Meditation – Guided meditations are a beautiful stepping stone to a solid practice. Filled with kind words, generally including some positive affirmations; short guided meditations are great for starting the day right. By listening to the voice of someone else, you can effectively quiet that little voice inside you.
3. Meditating on a Topic – This could otherwise be referred to as brainstorming, but with enhanced intention. Come to your meditation space – this could be the end of your bed, your living room carpet, your backyard, basically anywhere you won’t be disturbed by people or technology – and bring your notebook. Choose your topic (eg; my next blog post, my kid’s birthday party). Sit down and breathe, allowing thoughts on the topic to flow freely. As good ideas come up, break to jot them down so you can expand on them later. As unrelated thoughts come up, just let them go. Just a heads up – you might get insane levels of creative in these sessions.
4. Moving With Mindfulness – Choose a task that you complete without much thought, such as brushing your teeth, doing dishes, folding laundry, eating, or to a certain extent, driving. Now just do that thing, and breathe. This one was mind blowing for me. It is wild how many random, useless, and mostly negative thoughts I had floating around in my head when I actually paid attention to them. Now I’m getting pretty good at moving with mindfulness, catching myself in the thought spiral, and letting it go with a smile.
5. Timed Meditation – starting with 1 minute even. Set your timer so you don’t have to worry about whether you need to get up and check your phone. Just commit to breathing for that one minute. Then go to two. Then 5, and so on.

AND THEN – try going it alone, no guidance, no movement, no timer. And if you’re ready, prepare to receive true bliss.

Do you have a secret to letting go and sitting in silence that wasn’t listed above? We’d love to hear about it. Share in the comments below.

All my adult life, I have loathed my period. A time of emotional upheaval, uncertainty, distress. Inability to communicate with candor and care. Inability to ask for what I need without my partner giving me that look of “It’s that time of the month again isn’t it?”. Of course, it is, and I’m so frustrated that I can’t be normal right now!!

There are about 2 weeks of the month when I am an extremely creative, high functioning person. New ideas abound, along with the energy to implement them. I say yes to every opportunity and look for the silver linings in all situations. I’m social, quick-witted, and confident in myself. I’m a champ.

The other two weeks, well, I wouldn’t describe them the same.

I start to feel pushed into the things I had committed to. I withdraw from social situations; switch to autopilot with the kids. I have miscommunications with my spouse. I get irritated at questions that only a week ago would have brought me joy to answer. To sum it up – shit gets weird. And then the guilty feelings wash over me. Why did I say that? What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I just get up and do things?

The answer is that I’ve been trying to do the wrong things during this time.

This is something that’s in the water in our society. We’re taught to give 100% all of the time. As business owners, we’re expected to have the same level of content output; the same level of energetic drive, 100% of the time. I think I’m not the only woman who fakes it (in business, or otherwise), probably about 30% of the time. And you better believe that once I started paying attention, I realized the “fake” days lined right up with my menstrual cycle.

Looking into the “why” behind my fluctuating ability to perform at different times of the month, I learned that as estrogen levels decline in the weeks before our period, so does our ability to think and communicate clearly…. or to remember simple words… or the fact that there’s wet laundry in the washing machine.

Over the last few months, I’ve done some deep searching and reflecting on what I expect from myself – in terms of my business and relationships, and my self-care – at different times of the month. I’ve made some beautiful realizations about what my body needs at different stages of my cycle, and am working to implement a more thoughtful approach to my business and life, using my cycle to my advantage.

Monthly Menstrual Cycles in Business

‘Connecting The Female Energy Cycle’ Photo Credit Dana Gillespie – www.mymoontime.com

Luteal Phase (otherwise known as PMS) – Estrogen levels declining:

What has long been regarded as the least favorite time of the month, has become a well-needed space for reflection on how the previous month unfolded. Stepping back from my soapbox, I go inward – assessing the successes and failures of the last month. I make lists, organize my office, update my books. I meditate and provide myself with long and loving massages. I reassess my commitments, retreat from that which does not serve me, and prepare to realign in the direction that feels right.

Menstrual Phase (our period) – Lowest Estrogen Level:

This phase is so sacred. It is the peeking sunlight after the storm. Through my processes of reflection in the luteal phase, I set new intentions for the month to come. I think about my vision. From a refreshingly emotionally balanced place, I write down my goals and listen to my gut feelings. I meditate on my business and express gratitude. It is during this time that I often get those aha! moments, where a new idea pops into my head. I take some time to outline the content of these new ideas.

Follicular Phase – Estrogen Rising:

As my energy levels rise, so does my self-confidence. I dive into my seedling ideas, have brainstorming sessions, write drafts, and problem solve the steps toward my vision. I get into conversations, connect with my tribe, reach out to the peeps who would benefit from my offerings. And I get posting on social media, sharing what’s new and shiny.

Ovulation Phase – Peak Estrogen = Peak energy:

This is the money week. Clear-headed and concise, I seek opportunities for interviews, free talks, and networking events. I spread joy. I dance and sing like my kids are watching. I shoot my videos, offering humor along with knowledge. And I batch task my social media posts, scheduling them for the weeks to come, to provide myself with that well-deserved reflection and organization time.

This breakdown of my cycle has brought so much clarity to the way I run my business and the way I treat myself. As I focus my energies as outlined above, I release myself from guilt and stress. I am anchored by the moon. And my path, though winding, is clear.

Do you align your business with your monthly cycle?

If you struggle with inconsistent energy levels or brain fog at different times of the month, it’s worth your while to pull out your calendar and start tracking these feelings. Find what works for you and when then use it to your advantage.

Post your experiences in the comments below! I’d love to hear if this helps bring clarity and prosperity to your business too.