Effortless joy in our lives and businesses, Lady Queens, comes from planning around our cycles. Following our cycle’s rhythms allows us to stay consistent, and consistency is what will place crowns on our heads.

Here are the best practices for each cycle season and how they can bring effortless joy into our lives and businesses.

1. Spring – Organisation, energy rising
2. Summer – high energy, action, outgoing, creative, proactive, social
3. Autumn – doing detail-oriented tasks, finishing off tasks
4. Winter – rest, introspection, space, simple tasks, passive

Spring and Summer seem self-explanatory. Our energy is high and rising, and we’re better able to interact with people – basically, we’re superwomen. Autumn is a little nod to ourselves that winter is on its way and super useful to use for detail-oriented tasks. We will naturally be nitpicky during this time, so let’s utilize that. Now when it comes to Winter, hopefully we’ve communicated our needs with our nearest and dearest. But what happens if a work colleague or our kids’ teacher books something into our calendar during our winter week? I’m so pleased you asked!

How do we manage if someone has planned things for us? What if we need to do certain things? How do we keep from being thrown off balance?

We may think, “But I have to do this thing.” We feel like we have obligations, but perhaps it’s just in our best long-term interests to keep the appointment.

Let’s quickly discuss the word “obligation.” The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as, “The action of binding oneself by oath, promise, or contract to do or forbear something; an agreement whereby one person is bound to another, or two or more persons are mutually bound; also, that to which one binds oneself, a formal promise.”

With all that in mind, it’s safe to say obligation is a strong word, so let’s use it wisely. A mother is obligated to look after her children, but there is no obligation to work, to friends, or to any other situation we might try to assign that word to, unless we have created it. Words have power, so let’s use them well. When we do have obligations, we could ask someone close to support us if needed. Remember, we always have choices.

On to best long-term interests. What’s this? For example, if it helps us keep a job, deepen a friendship, further our projects, and so on. If this is the case, and we do choose to do the thing, we can put space around it, before and after, so we are supported. We can book a massage, or take some quiet time to read a book, ask our partner to look after the kids for a while – whatever will make us feel nourished again and drop back into that place of stillness.

Teany: A great example is a recent time where I had to take a required class for work and sadly, I’d missed the reminder emails sent prior to this.  The only time I had available was late at night the day it was due, and I was just about to start my cycle which, is a time for rest rather than a time to focus on something technical that required attention, deep thought, and lots of reading. My eyes glazed over several times, and I had to step away and shut my eyes to get through it.  But I supported myself by practicing pacing, took breaks, and even managed to spend some time with my son right before he went to bed. As a single mom, giving time to do things for myself and my son is incredibly nourishing. Those moments and the relaxed timing made all the difference at a time when my body, mind and energy wanted to be still instead of focusing on a task. Happy to say it was completed and I even received a high score on the test! It’s amazing what pacing and filling yourself with nourishing moments can do to help you through things.

With all of this in mind, let’s get back to planning around our cycles to bring effortless joy into our businesses. We will be working in tune with our needs, and doing that, Lady Queens, makes everything easier.

At the start of outlining our first Season, we deserve to take the time to tune in and add when we will be in Spring, Summer, Autumn/Fall or Winter. Using our female superpowers and wisdom to create our 12-week journey – which we spoke about in another article, Time to map out your queendom – will make all the difference. We will have three cycles during that time. If we keep the activities in each week true to the Season, we can watch what happens for us and how we feel. By planning the best activities for the appropriate parts of our cycle, we allow our cycle to work for us, rather than working against our cycle. This is the secret juice that helps us flow with ease through life and Queen it in our businesses in all ways.

Here are some great questions to keep us following our Queendom Map and staying true to our desires:

• Is it pleasurable? Is it honouring? Is there a way you can make it so?
• Is it paced to your rhythm, cycle and schedule?
• Does it fuel your desires from your heart? Do you feel compassion and gratitude?
• Does it match your desire for your Queendom Map? What do you want to let die today – by doing it or letting go?

Here are a few tips as well:

• Consciously limit your time with those who drain you.
• Post up or keep your Map in a place that is visible daily as a reminder for you.
• Look at your map before you go to sleep and when you wake up, in a ritualistic way, rather than an obsessive way.
• Finally, but perhaps most importantly, leave space in your day for collaboration and magic from the Cosmos.

When we follow our Queenodm Map, we stay in effortless joy!! YAY to that, Lady Queens!!!

On that note, stay connected, juicy, and playful, and we’ll see you next time.