Unlock Peak Productivity: Master Your Ultradian Rhythm for Optimal Performance

Ever wonder why sometimes you seem to be in a state of HIGH productibity - where you are getting stuff done left and right, and then others.... not so much?

I found myself in that EXACT scenario - I had alllll the time in the world to knock items off my to-do list, but no energy or WILL to get it done.

And I had no idea why.

But now I do!  ULTRADIAN RHYTHMS.

In this episode, we go deep into what it is, how to monitor your energy levels to understand your peaks and valleys, and what you can do to optimize these rhythms!

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Transcript

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Have you ever wondered how in some parts of your day, you just feel unstoppable. Like you can get anything done and you are just on the go. And then other times you cannot focus no matter what. This was me last week. And it was so frustrating because while I had time in my day to rock out a bunch of stuff that I wanted to get done. I could not seem to gain any traction, no matter how hard I tried. I procrastinated. I scroll through Tik TOK and I did a bunch of busy work. You know, all of that stuff that doesn't move any needles anywhere, but it just keeps you occupied, like organizing the junk drawer. I did anything and everything, but I could not get into a productive state. I'm not even talking about a flow state, y'all just literally some type of needle moving productivity. Well, let me tell you, if you have ever felt this way, you are not alone. And the answer lies in something called the ultra Radian rhythm. Yes. Old tradie and rhythm. And that was something that I had never, ever, ever heard about until this week. And now I want to share it with you. So today we're going to learn all about what that is the importance of observing your energy patterns, and then planning your day around your personal peaks and valleys. You are listening to the glass ceiling and sticky floor podcast. The podcast that will empower you to shatter limiting beliefs and toxic behaviors to uncover infinite possibilities. So you can live your best life. I'm Erica Rooney and I'm on a mission to bring more women into positions of power and keep them there. I'm obsessed with all things, growth and abundance. And I'm here to talk you through the tried and true secrets to get you to level up your career and your life. We talk about the hard stuff here. Imposter syndrome, perfectionism, fear and burnout. So pull up a seat pop into near bud and let's dive in. First things first, what exactly is an ultradian rhythm? Now you might've heard of circadian rhythms, which are the 24 hour cycles that dictate your sleep, wake patterns. But all trade-in rhythms on the other hand are shorter cycles that occur multiple times throughout the day. Typically lasting about 90 to 120 minutes. These rhythms influence our physical and mental performance dictating periods of high energy and focus. Followed by periods of low energy and the need for rest. Now here's what's wild. And that is that the old trading rhythms are everywhere. Now the basic one that we're going to talk about today is the basic rest activity cycle vRAC. And this is a fundamental trading rhythm that lasts about 90 to 120 minutes. It consists of high activity and alertness that flow state. Which is then followed by a period of a lower activity and rest. And that occurs in your body throughout both day and night. Here's what totally blew my mind. There are other rhythms that occur in all come together to make up you and your energy rhythms. And when I tell you my mind was so blown, because it just shows how miraculous our bodies are. It was. Mind blown. For example, you have heart rate variability. So that's when your heart undergoes the variations in its beating pattern within old trade-in. Radian cycles, which influences energy levels and overall cardiovascular health. Your hormonal cycles too. So hormones like cortisol and insulin are released in old trade-in rhythms. Quarters all for example has peaks in the early mornings and also in the late afternoon, which affects your stress level in your alertness. You also have hunger indigestion, which follows ultradian rhythms and of course, sleep. And during sleep, you probably already know this, but we cycle through them while we sleep. Like we go through the light sleep, the deep sleep, the REM sleep, and each complete a cycle which lasts you guessed it 90 to 120 minutes. And it repeats throughout the night. But this is the one that is the most interesting. And that is your mental focus and cognitive performance. Cognitive abilities like attention and memory can cycle through peaks and valleys every 90 to 120 minutes. Y'all this is where we get into it, where we talk about how it can really shift your productivity state. Because during those peak times you feel more focused, you feel more alert, you are more in the flow. And when you're in those valleys, you need a break. Otherwise you face what is called cognitive fatigue and y'all know what that is. It is exactly what it sounds like. Mental fatigue. It is that state of mental exhaustion that hits you after a long day of meetings with no breaks or a full day at a conference. You all know how that feels at the end of the day. When you just want to go back to your hotel room and you were just done, but you haven't done anything and sit there and learn all day. Now cognitive fatigue can hit you in several ways, such as having slower cognitive processing time, where literally your thinking becomes slower and slower, and it takes you longer to solve problems. You may suffer from memory impairment. So I don't know about you, but I tend to lose my phone and my keys a way more at the end of the day than I do at the beginning of the day. Reduce decision making ability. You become more emotionally reactive and irritable and you have decreased focus and concentration leading to you guessed it. Increased distractability and you know what that does. Decreases your productivity decreases your peak performance. And I tell you all of this because when you know, when you understand these rhythms and you're working with these natural cycles, it can help you maximize that productivity. It can help you boost your energy levels and ultimately help you show up as your best self in all areas of your life. It will help you avoid that feeling that I was telling you about earlier, where I was so stuck last weekend, I was not getting anything done where I had all the time in the world to do it, but no mental capacity. So I want to break this down into some tangible steps so that you can start identifying your ultradian rhythm. And start using it for peak productivity. Now the first step is to observe your energy patterns. You have to become aware of your natural energy patterns. If you are not already. And you likely do you have a good idea? About what those are just from living, but I want you to keep a journal for the next few days. And I want you to note your energy level at different hours during the day. How do you feel when you first sit down at your computer? Right? How do you feel around lunchtime towards the end of the day? Right before bed. I want you to know, when do you feel most alert and most focused. And when do you feel the need for a break? And I want you to start identifying this patterns and trends in your energy levels. Now I found that I am very focused and dialed in in the morning after my brain wakes up a little bit. I can rock it out. I can get into the flow state quickly. But by mid morning, I need a break, something different or else my energy dips and I'm easily distracted. No, one's you do that? You can start to plan your day around your peaks and valleys. So step two is all about the optimal energy scheduling. And this can be the most challenging because sometimes it feels like our calendars dictate and control our day. But if you can start identifying when your energy is high, And you schedule your most important and most demanding tasks then. It will help you get into the flow state easier. It will allow you to get fully immersed and you will find that you were moving the needle on the things that matter most with the least amount of effort. Working smarter, not harder. Now the next step is incorporating regular breaks and optimizing them. You have to listen to your body's need for R and R. When you do this, you prevent burnout. You keep your energy levels in a steady state. You feel better, right? Many use what's called the Pomodoro technique, which is a technique where you work for 25 minutes and then you take a five minute short break and you repeat that four times, and then you take a longer 15 to 30 minute break. So test that out. You may need to expand or shorten your work or your break time. But again, this is all about experimenting and finding out what works best for you because everyone is different. And then you need to optimize those breaks. You have to first understand this big key thing. Not all breaks are created equally. Now to truly recharge. You need to engage in activities that rejuvenate your mind and your body. So take a walk outside, maybe do some light stretching, moving around, practice breathing exercises. And if your life allows for it, take a nap. A real quick power nap will do a world of good. Now, one of my favorites now that the weather is good is getting out of my backyard and sitting on my hammock for just a little bit. Breaks that do not help us are the mindless scrolling through social media. So I want you to avoid that at all costs. Now the goal is it, after those breaks, you've returned to work. You feel refreshed and ready to tackle the next step. Not focused on other people's take talks, which is the ultimate distraction. And it does not allow your brain to reboot. From there, you can create a balanced routine because consistency here is key. If you can maintain a balanced routine that supports your ultradian rhythm. Which includes getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, eating the right nutritious foods and incorporating movement into your daily routine. You'll be making sure that your energy levels and overall wellbeing are balanced, which makes it much easier to sustain peak productivity and performance. Now the final step that I have for you is often my final step in many of my processes, which is to remain flexible and to adapt because y'all life is going to life at you when you are least expecting it. So sometimes that schedule might not align perfectly with your old trading rhythm, maybe you're traveling, but the thing is, is okay. Be flexible, adapt as you need to. And if you find yourself struggling through work, get outside, take some deep breaths stretch. Literally walk away from the computer just for a little bit. Do not try to push through it. Like I did trust me. It gets you either nowhere. Or it gets you a pile of less than stellar work that you will find yourself redoing over and over and over. Now the important thing here. Is to listen to your body and make adjustments as necessary. And that's it. There you have it. But isn't this crazy. How did I go? 39 years. And I've never heard of all trading and rhythms. I want to know. Have you heard about that? Seriously? Send me a message because I had never heard this word before in my whole life. But here's the real deal y'all by understanding and working through and with your ultradian rhythm, you can optimize your productivity. You can boost your energy levels and you can show up as your best self every single day. Remember the key is to observe your patterns, plan your tasks accordingly and make sure that you incorporate those dang rest breaks to truly recharge you. Now, before we close out, I want to leave you with this. Productivity is not about working harder. It really is about working smarter. Y'all. That is how you can make the most out of your days. And when you align your work with your natural energy cycles, you are not only more efficient, but you are more effective as a leader, as a partner, as a. Colleague as a mom, as a sister, as a friend. Thank you for tuning into this episode of the glass ceiling and sticky floor podcast. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with someone who could benefit from listening. And if you haven't already hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode, now most importantly, June 17th is when my peak productivity time crafting digital course. Called a re-imagine it all begins. And at this episode was helpful. You should just see what is inside this course. And this course is the personal and professional playbook for ambitious women. You will learn how to make your own success, master your time and unlock a new level of potential with my science back system that is designed to add value to your life. Not things to your to-do list. Okay friends until next time. Remember the only ceilings that exist are the ones we place over ourselves. Let's smash them together.