Erica: Hey, girl. By now, you know I have Her Collective, my online community for ambitious women who are done doing it alone. Her Collective is for the women who are smart, capable, and driven, but they find themselves stuck on the sticky floors like self doubt, burnout, and waiting for permission that quite honestly never comes. Inside HER, you get more than motivation. You get real support, real strategies, and real momentum.

Erica: We work on things like clarifying what you want now and what's coming next, building confidence without burning yourself out, navigating hard conversations, career moves, and leadership moments with clarity, and surrounding yourself with women who actually get it. This isn't about hustling harder. It's about moving intentionally with the right tools and the right people in your corner. If you're ready to stop spinning, start choosing yourself, and build a career in life that actually feels aligned, I'd love to welcome you inside her collective. You can learn more and join us at www.joinhercollective.com.

Erica: Because honestly, girl, you were never meant to do this alone. 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 is 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.

Erica: I scrolled through TikTok, and I did a bunch of busy work. You know, all 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.

Erica: Well, let me tell you. If you have ever felt this way, you are not alone. And the answer lies in something called the ultradian rhythm. Yes. Ultradian rhythm.

Erica: And that was something that I had never ever ever heard about until this week. And now I wanna share it with you. So today, we are 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.

Erica: 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 Nearbud, and let's dive in. First things first, what exactly is an ultradian rhythm? Now you might have heard of circadian rhythms, which are the twenty four hour cycles that dictate your sleep wake patterns.

Erica: But ultradian rhythms, on the other hand, are shorter cycles that occur multiple times throughout the day typically lasting about ninety to a hundred and twenty 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 ultradian rhythms are everywhere. Now the basic one that we're gonna talk about today is the basic rest activity cycle, b r a c. And this is a fundamental ultradian rhythm that lasts about ninety to a hundred and twenty minutes.

Erica: It consists of high activity and alertness, that flow state, which is then followed by a period of 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 and 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.

Erica: For example, you have heart rate variability. So that's when your heart undergoes the variations in its beating pattern within ultradian cycles, which influences energy levels in overall cardiovascular health. Your hormonal cycles too. So hormones like cortisol and insulin are released in ultradian rhythms. Cortisol for example has peaks in the early mornings and also in the late afternoon which affects your stress level in your awareness.

Erica: You also have hunger and digestion which follow 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 completes a cycle which lasts, you guessed it, ninety to a hundred and twenty 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 ninety to a hundred and twenty minutes. Y'all this is where we get into it, where we talk about how it can really shift your productivity state.

Erica: 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.

Erica: 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. Y'all know how that feels. At the end of the day when you just want to go back to your hotel room and you are 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.

Erica: You may suffer from memory impairment. So I don't know about you but I tend to lose my phone and my keys 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 distractibility. And you know what that does?

Erica: Decreases your productivity, decreases your peak performance. And I tell you all of this because when you know and 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 week and I was not getting anything done, where I had all the time in the world to do it, but no mental capacity. So I wanna break this down into some tangible steps so that you can start identifying your ultradian rhythm and start using it for peak productivity.

Erica: 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 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?

Erica: 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 those 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.

Erica: I can get into the flow state quickly, but by midmorning, I need a break. Something different or else my energy dips and I'm easily distracted. Now once you do that, you can start to plan your day around your peaks and your 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.

Erica: 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 are 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.

Erica: 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 twenty five minutes and then you take a five minute short break and you repeat that four times and then you take a longer fifteen to thirty minute break.

Erica: 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.

Erica: 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 the hammock for just a little bit. Breaks that do not help us are the mindless scrolling through social media.

Erica: So I want you to avoid that at all costs. Now the goal is that after those breaks you return to work, you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the next step, not focused on other people's TikToks 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 well-being 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 gonna life at you when you are least expecting it.

Erica: So sometimes that schedule might not align perfectly with your ultradian rhythm. Maybe you're traveling. But the thing is, it's okay. Be flexible. Adapt as you need to.

Erica: 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.

Erica: 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.

Erica: But isn't this crazy? How did I go thirty nine years and I've never heard of ultradian rhythms? I wanna know have you heard about this? Seriously send me a message because I had never heard this word before in my life. But here's the real deal y'all.

Erica: 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.

Erica: 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 in to 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.

Erica: And if you haven't already, hit that subscribe button so that you never miss an episode. Now most importantly, June 17 is when my peak productivity time crafting digital course called Reimagine It All begins. And if 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 backed system that is designed to add value to your life, not things to your to do list.

Erica: Okay, friends. Until next time. Remember, the only ceilings that exist are the ones we place over ourselves. Let's smash through them together.