Learn Your Working Rhythm.
History has it that we can thank the great industrialist Henry Ford for the creation of the 5 day work week. By the 1940s, the United States had passed & amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to formalize the 40 hour/5 days a week working week. And what a wild ride it’s been since that thoughtful law was come to pass over 80 years ago.
Working Cycles - How We Got Here
Thanks to the hyper progressive booms of communication and technology, most of us audibly laugh at the idea of a 40 hour work week- it might even sound like a vacation week. While the national average shows that U.S. workers are in line with the standard 40 hours a week (never trust averages), most employees know that in reality they’re working 50-60 hours/week as their baseline. This pace is especially common within healthcare, tech, and startups.
Then the 2020 pandemic gave companies & workers a bit of a reboot. We found ourselves paused at work, working from home, or suddenly transitioned to no work at all as many industries were brought to a complete halt.
Employees around the globe suddenly realized that they weren’t missing their morning commute and were finding new space for things like bike rides or actually catching a daily lunch break. So what did we learn from that experience? Maybe not enough. Most employees are right back to the grind.
In our society, we tend to schedule our whole lives around our work cycles & will in turn operate as though our minds & bodies are powered by our employers. But in reality, we as humans are organically powered by our circadian rhythm.
Circadian Rhythm - Natural Rhythm of the Body
The circadian rhythm, also known as the natural rhythm of the body, operates in humans on a 24-hour cycle & drives various biological processes through out the day including alertness, sleepiness, peak exercise potential, body temperature & blood pressure.
Here’s the deal— the more we tune into our circadian rhythm, the healthier, happier & more productive we’ll be. And relatedly, you can discover the optimal times of day for you to be analytical, creative, administrative, active, restful, meditative and so on. Now, just imagine if you could build your work day around these cycles- you’d likely discover that you’re actually more productive, rested & fulfilled overall when you honor your circadian rhythm.
Test It Out - Self Driven Activity
To get connected to your circadian rhythm, I challenge you to find one day a month where you can listen to your body’s real time ask for rest, food & activity and then respond to those basic needs with what your body is asking for.
I encourage you to then fill the space around those basic needs with ‘all the other things’ you might wish to accomplish in a day. Once you tune into your circadian rhythm, it will get easier to then adjust your work day cycles to better align with your own rhythm. This would be your next ongoing step.
Interested in discovering your circadian rhythm?
Want support as you tune into your own rhythm? Reach out! I’m here for it!
Seeking an accountability partner as you adapt your daily cycles? Yep, I’m here for that too!
Deeper Reset - Retreat Time
To more fully reconnect with your circadian rhythm, you can also join a one day or multi day retreat. These experiences can be amazing opportunities to tune back into what your body & mind naturally need to fuel its life cycles.
Reach out to learn about current & upcoming retreat offerings.
Looking for even more? Check out this resource article.