The productivity trap: we need a woman's perspective

This is something that traditional productivity advice simply misses.

AI image generated with Dall•E by me

Every month, I question whether I should write this piece and every month, I decide not to. It's a personal topic yet a universal one. For some reason, I'm ready to write it now.

People who have been reading my work since the beginning will know that this newsletter is not my first experience writing online. I started writing on LinkedIn at the end of 2022. I had finished a personal development program and wanted to share what I had learned.

Soon, I submerged myself in the personal development and productivity content scene. I got hooked. As a bored millennial, I'd try every quick fix, protocol, or routine to increase my productivity.

But something weird happened.

Something that was not supposed to happen, according to the productivity advisors.

Those fixes never worked. Only temporary, but the habits didn't stick.

And what was even weirder, after months of trying new things, I started to recognize a pattern. Every month, I would start off great, with loads of energy, promises to myself and high motivation. Only to feel it all slip away three weeks later. Leaving me feeling tired and lethargic, as if I had to start all over again.

What happened?

My period.

Yes, I am a woman. (In case you were doubting 😉 ) And I have this monthly hormonal cycle that steers my body and tells it what to do. Every month, this body gets a huge burst of energy, creativity, and productivity. But then it also has to recover and prepare for a new cycle.

I hope I'm not scaring away any of the men here reading. But it's something I never see any productivity advisor talk about. It could be more widespread on Instagram or TikTok. But I'm not active on those platforms so that information doesn't reach me. I also didn't do any research for this post, so these are purely my thoughts and views on the matter.

Generally, business and productivity advice seems more dominated by men. But it also gives advice from the male perspective—which is normal. If you are a man, you can't know how a woman’s body and brain works and vice versa. We have not lived each other's lives, nor will we ever do. Many female content creators also give productivity advice. I did this, too, during my LinkedIn days. But it's often the same advice recycled and repackaged.

It's a missed opportunity.

It keeps the fantasy world alive. "Just put in the work each day." If you don't, then something must be wrong with you.

Toxic productivity is what that's called.

And I don't want that, nor need that in my life, anymore.

It took me a very, very long time to accept I didn't have the same energy levels at the start of every new day. It's spread over a month. I will get loads of energy at the beginning of the month but then a smaller amount at the end.

This makes 'being productive', 'taking action every day', and' being consistent' very hard. It's not impossible, but it's difficult. As a woman, you must be a bit more creative in considering your body. Work with it, not against it.

But.

You need to know your body to work with it.

And that's something only you can do. Nobody knows your body as you know your body. Pay attention to your energy levels, mood changes, and cravings. I started tracking my cycle and symptoms four years ago, and it has given me so many insights. I would highly recommend doing this. I use the app Clue and love it.

Once you know yourself a bit better, you can start modeling your life and activities around it.

Consistency is possible, but make it doable and realistic.

Let's say you work out four times a week. Instead of doing the same workout every week, adapt it to your cycle. My 5k run gets different results depending on the timing. Sometimes, I'll do it fast and without any effort, and other times, it feels like I've never run a 5k in my life.

You can do more soft workouts (like walking, yoga, stretching, etc.) when you are in your last weeks. The same goes for productivity. If you have the flexibility, don't plan intense projects or workshops in those last weeks. I once rescheduled a podcast recording because I was in the last week of my cycle, and I felt low energy. I rescheduled to a week later and had the confidence I needed.

Work often doesn't allow this flexibility. Remember to be kind to yourself; don't beat yourself up when you feel less energetic or more emotional. Also, dare to talk about it. Yes, we get more emotional at certain times, but what we try to express is not meaningless or less worthy. It's often an amplification of things going on in our lives, even when it's not that time of the month.

I had a manager. We were talking one-on-one about a work project she was very attached to, and she reacted pretty emotionally at one point. Tears in her eyes. Then she said, "I'm sorry for this reaction, I’m about to get my period."

That was amazing. She dared to say it like that, which took the weirdness out of the emotional moment. Some would say that it’s unprofessional, but to me, it showed that she is only human, allowing me to be human as well.

It's a pity this topic still feels taboo. While 50% of the world's population goes through this every month for 40 years of their lives. But it must be taboo, otherwise I would not be so nervous about publishing this.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments!

I started the 75 Hard Challenge

I began the hardest challenge on the internet last Saturday. I'm on day 7 now. 68 more days to go.

This is what the 75 Hard Challenge is about:

• Do 2 workouts of 45 minutes per day.

  • One needs to be outside

  • They cannot be consecutive

• Follow a diet (make a healthy conscious choice)

• No cheat meals, no alcohol

• Drink 1 gallon of water per day (3.8L)

• Read 10 pages of non-fiction per day

• Take a progress picture

You have to do this every day, for 75 days in a row.

You must start all over if you fail, even at one task.

According to Andy Frisella, the founder of this challenge, it's a mental toughness challenge. That's why I started it.

I want to get mentally and physically stronger. I want to do hard things and trust that I am capable of doing them. So far, I’m loving it! I’m not eating sugar and no processed food. My workouts now mainly consist of walking and yoga, but I’m gonna level up in the next weeks.

I won't go into more detail here, but I wondered if you want to follow my 75-day progress. Let me know in the poll, and I'll start a series.

Earnings week 29

We continue to have excellent, steady growth in subscribers and I decided to invest in a Substack Mastermind - more info coming soon!

I also saw I'm growing a lot thanks to other publications recommending The Bored Millennial. Thank you to everyone recommending my newsletter 🙏

What I loved this week

I loved settling into my new place. It’s very nice and cosy, surrounded by green, in an old, cute street.

Lola and I went to doggy school for the first time, and we still have a lot of work to do! But we will get there. My fluffball also went to visit the groomer. We can finally see her eyes 👀

Here are some more images to close this week’s edition:

Have an awesome weekend, and thank you so much for reading!!

Yours truly,