Harmonic Cycles

A life that follows the natural cycles is one that is in harmony.

The first natural cycle our bodies figure out is the feeding cycle. We eat, we sleep, we poop, we eat again. Over time, that cycle grows to include some wake time. And, after a year or so, most of us have a pretty good handle on the daily cycle. These are the two foundational cycles of life. They are a part of our bones, our nature, our very biology.

Respecting those cycles is important.

As we grow, longer cycles start to become apparent. The cycle of weeks, while not biological, has been part of human cultures for thousands of years.

The monthly cycle also takes hold early, and also is tied into our biology thanks to the moon and women’s periods.

The seasonal cycle of a year, like the cycle of a day, shapes our biology and psychology in important ways.

As we grow older, we start to detect and follow the cycle of a life. We see our parents grow old, our grandparents die, our children be born.

Each of these cycles has phases that you go through, naturally: periods of reflection vs periods of action, times to sow and times to reap.

When it comes to planning your day, your week, your month, your life, remember the cycles. You will naturally look forward in your life in increments of the cycles: the next week, or seven days. The next month, or four weeks. The next season, or three months. The next year, or fours seasons.

It doesn’t make sense to try to think about your future three years out in terms of individual days. It doesn’t make sense to think of planning next week and try to contain within it all you want to do in the coming year.

Rather, you look at the next week day by day, the next month week by week. The next year month by month, or maybe season by season. If you plan at even shorter time frames, it likely makes sense to look at your day from meal to meal. Remember, the feeding cycle is the first cycle of life.

This is what a tickler file should look like. This is how granular your cue cards for the future should be.