Data-Driven Productivity: Aligning Work With Your Body’s Cycle

The standard workday assumes that workers can deliver a consistent output, eight hours a day, five days a week, every week. This works for men, whose bodies are relatively unchanging day-to-day with a 24-hour hormone cycle. However, women’s hormones fluctuate over a longer, 28-day cycle. Ever notice that some days at work feel harder than others? Your cycle phases influence your mental, physical, and emotional states, which directly impact your work. Like any scientific endeavor, you can’t improve what you don’t measure! Understanding your body is key to optimizing productivity and wellbeing. This session will explore the biology behind women’s cycles, present data tracking methods to support knowledge of your body, and suggest strategies to align work and life with your body’s natural rhythm. By working with your body instead of against it, you can enable better decision making, avoid burnout, and improve your work and personal life.