As a homeschooling mom of three young children, I've learned over the past decade that planning is essential for staying organized and managing stress and hormonal health.
Initially, I dreaded planned days. My spontaneous, creative nature led to last-minute adventures, like visiting the Met Museum after a homeschool day of studying Mary Cassatt. Yet, without a structured approach, I struggled to achieve my goals, including writing for my blog. After a chaotic and spontaneous move from NYC to Tuscany, I realized that planning was the missing puzzle piece to change my life.
In January 2024, I knew I had to make a change. I felt perpetually frazzled and overwhelmed, with no clear goals. My days were filled with cleaning, cooking, and homeschooling, leaving little time for anything else. I was emotionally spent, my weight was erratic, my digestion was wrecked, and my skin was a mess!
After months of prayer and reflection, I parted ways with the analysis paralysis and began planning my days, which evolved into planning my weeks and months. This shift reduced my stress, balanced my hormones, and created a more peaceful home.
I discovered that effective planning helps to balance hormones, boost productivity, and improve overall well-being. Our energy levels naturally fluctuate, and by aligning our schedules with our bodies' cycles, we can harness these rhythms to feel our best. It's about working with our bodies instead of against them.
Why Planning Boosts Hormonal Health and Productivity
Monthly planning is a great way to enhance your daily routine and support your hormonal health. It provides clarity by giving you a roadmap for your tasks and goals, making you 42% more likely to achieve them, according to Dominican University of California research.
It also helps reduce stress, which is especially important for women, as chronic stress can disrupt hormonal balance. Planning minimizes last-minute chaos and supports your estrogen and progesterone levels.
Additionally, structured planning improves time management and efficiency. Your extra time can be spent on the things that matter most to you, like reading aloud to your children, working on creative projects, and exercising.
Finally, planning is motivating! Checking off tasks boosts your progress, and syncing your plans with your menstrual cycle can amplify these benefits—use high-energy phases for major accomplishments like family road trips and working on projects and restful phases for recovery and rest.
Syncing Planning with Your Menstrual Cycle: A Hormonal Edge
Women's hormonal health shifts across the menstrual cycle, which is typically 28 days long and split into four phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal. Hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone affect each phase, affecting energy, mood, and physical capacity. Here's how to plan around them.
1. Menstrual Phase (Days 1-5): Rest and Reflect
- What's Happening: Estrogen and progesterone drop, energy dips, and you're bleeding. Endurance is lower due to blood loss.
- Planning Tip: Schedule light tasks—emails, brainstorming, or admin work. Block out time for rest: gentle stretching or a walk. Avoid overloading your calendar. Trust me on this one!
- Hormonal Health Boost: Iron-rich foods (spinach, red meat, nettle tea) combat fatigue. Prioritize sleep to support recovery and hormonal balance, especially since our immune system is weaker around this time.
2. Follicular Phase (Days 6-14): Push Forward
- What's Happening: Estrogen now rises, and testosterone peaks late in the phase. This is when your body has better strength and endurance.
- Planning Tip: This is the time to tackle big projects like planning your month, intense workouts (HIIT, lifting), or social events. Set ambitious goals now—you've got the stamina. This is also a great time for homeschool planning, too. Wahoo!
- Hormonal Health Boost: Load up on complex carbs (quinoa, sweet potatoes) and protein to fuel energy and muscle repair.
3. Ovulatory Phase (Days 14-16): Peak Performance
- What's Happening: Estrogen hits its high, while testosterone spikes briefly. Also, muscle power peaks.
- Planning Tip: Plan meetings, host friends and playdates, plan family field trips, or get in your power workouts (sprints, heavy lifts). Capitalize on confidence and focus.
- Hormonal Health Boost: Watch form—ligaments loosen, raising injury risk. Be sure to hydrate with a pinch of sea salt in water and mineral-rich coconut water.
4. Luteal Phase (Days 17-28): Wind Down
- What's Happening: Progesterone climbs, energy varies. Early luteal suits moderate effort; late luteal brings fatigue or PMS.
- Planning Tip: Schedule steady tasks—decluttering, organizing—or moderate exercise (Pilates, jogging). Ease up late in the phase with self-care.
-Hormonal Health Boost: Add healthy fats (avocado, nuts) to support progesterone. Magnesium (dark chocolate, seeds) eases PMS
Step-by-Step Guide to Plan Your Month Ahead
Ready to align planning with your menstrual cycle for hormonal balance? Follow these steps:
1. Track Your Cycle
- Use an app (like Lively) or a calendar to mark your period's start (Day 1). Note that phase lengths vary (21-35 days total is normal). Take note of patterns over 2-3 months.
- Tip: Log symptoms (energy, mood) to fine-tune planning. It's worth the effort, trust me!
2. Map Your Month
- Grab a planner or digital tool. Mark fixed events (appointments, extracurricular activities). Overlay your menstrual cycle phases based on your tracker.
- Tip: Color-code phases—red for menstrual, green for follicular, etc.—for quick reference.
3. Match Tasks to Energy
- Assign high-energy tasks (road trips, hosting, workouts, big decisions) to follicular/ovulatory phases. Save low-key stuff (rest, reflection) for menstrual/late luteal.
- Tip: Build in flex days—cycles can shift slightly.
4. Plan Nutrition and Self-Care
- Stock up on phase-friendly foods: carbs for follicular, fats for luteal. Schedule sleep (7-9 hours) and hydration checks.
- Tip: Prep meals and meal plan weekly to avoid stress-induced junk food binges that disrupt hormonal health.
5. Review and Adjust
- Mid-month check-in. Did energy match your plan? Tweak as needed—over-planning can stress you out - remember, that's no good!
- Tip: Keep it simple—start with one focus (e.g., workouts) and expand.
6. Pray
Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."
This is the most important step! God loves us and knows what's best for us. He also knows what lies ahead. Submitting your plans to God reduces the pressure to get it all done and keeps us open to being Spirit-led.
- Tip: Dedicate your daily plans to God.
Final Thoughts
Monthly planning paired with menstrual cycle awareness is life-changing for hormonal health, productivity, and a happy household. But remember, it's not about perfection—flexibility is key. Start small: ask the Lord for guidance, track your cycle, plan one phase, and build from there.