The POWR Method Finale: How to Get Sh*t Done (Without the Burnout)

What if you could stop working top-down on your to-do list and actually get more done in less time?

If you've ever:

• Finished a workday exhausted and realized you didn't do the thing that actually mattered
• Felt like you're doing a million things but nothing is moving the needle
• Powered through administrative tasks during your most creative week
• Called yourself a lunatic during the week before your period
• Wondered why some weeks you're a focused machine and others you can barely concentrate

In this episode, the finale of The POWR Method mini-series, I'm breaking down the W in POWR: Work. This is your luteal phase. The "get sh*t done" phase.

Here's what I want you to know: This isn't about doing more. It's about doing the right things at the right time. Your luteal phase gets a bad rap because this is where PMS shows up. But in my world, there are no bad phases — just under-supported and misunderstood ones.

And when you understand how your body actually works, you learn to leverage it. 

In this episode:

• The science behind why luteal is your "execute and wrap up" phase (hint: progesterone)
• How I used my last luteal phase to build an entire accounting system (and crushed it)
• The full 4-phase breakdown using one project: my website (from menstrual intention to luteal execution)
• Tasks your body is primed for during luteal: admin work, deep focus, reviewing contracts, meeting deadlines
• Why the "I can't control everything" objection is valid — and how to be 1% better instead
• The difference between time management and energy management (this is the shift)
• How pausing before you "do" creates strategic discipline, not laziness

This episode is for you if:

• You're an entrepreneur, business owner, or busy woman who's tired of doing everything and getting nowhere
• You've been working top-down on your to-do list and wondering why it's not working
• You want to stop guessing what to do every day and start trusting a system
• You're ready to work WITH your body instead of forcing it to keep up
• You need permission to be 1% better instead of perfect

"This isn't just feminine. This is a beautiful form of discipline. Strategic, intentional discipline. You made your monthly plan when your mind was clear and your body felt good. Now you get to trust it."

Series wrap-up note: This is the final episode of The POWR Method mini-series. I'm taking a summer break from the podcast to focus on my next live cohort of In Sync - a group program where women learn how their bodies actually work, how to balance their hormones and feel like themselves again.

Don't worry, I will be back. 

In Sync early bird pricing:

If you want to be the first to know when In Sync early bird pricing opens, be sure to sign up for my email list HERE! 

☕️ Stay bold, stay balanced, stay thriving 

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⭐️ Rate and review! 

Transcript

0:00:00 - (Carly): Foreign. Welcome to Coffee with Carly, your weekly wake up call to a happier, healthier life. I'm your host, Carly Shade, and I'm here to uncover how good life can get. Hello everyone. We are back with the final episode of the Power Method miniseries. And if this is your first time tuning into my podcast, welcome. If you don't know what the Power Method miniseries is inside Coffee with Carly, feel free to back up a few episodes to start from the beginning.

0:00:44 - (Carly): But if you have been here from the beginning, you already know what's up, so we're gonna just dive right into it. Today we're talking about the W in power, which stands for work. And this superpower aligns with your luteal phase, or what I like to call the get shit done phase. The luteal phase is the last phase of your cycle and it leads right into your period. And it usually lasts 10 to 14 days, making it the longest phase.

0:01:15 - (Carly): And it often gets a bad rap because. Because this is where PMS shows up. But in my world, there are no bad phases, just under supported and misunderstood phases. And the luteal phase is often both. If you've ever called yourself a lunatic during this phase, that is your body asking for support. Now, we are going to save tips for how to best support your luteal phase with nutrition, exercise, things like that for another episode today.

0:01:46 - (Carly): Today we're going to focus on how to leverage it. But first I want to look at the science, right? What's actually happening during the luteal phase? This phase, as I just mentioned, begins right after ovulation, which is the phase where your body is trying to get pregnant. So in the luteal phase, your body is now preparing to sustain a potential pregnancy. Remember, whether you're pregnant or not, or want kids or not, you.

0:02:14 - (Carly): Your body is wired for reproduction. So in this phase, you can expect your energy to turn inward a little bit more. You become more detail oriented, more discerning, more focused. Progesterone is the star of the show in your luteal phase, and it's on the rise in the beginning and then tapers off and leading into your cycle. And so the particular ratio of estrogen to progesterone, it makes you notice things that you didn't see before.

0:02:43 - (Carly): You get better at spotting what's not working. Like I said, it's literally preparing your body to protect and sustain a human life, which is why you're suddenly amazing at catching errors, organizing systems, and wrapping up loose ends. Hence the get shit done phase. But I want you to Be careful because this is not a hustle at all costs kind of get shit done phase. Because side note, you are also more sensitive to stress here.

0:03:13 - (Carly): But this is a put your head down and execute kind of get shit done phase. So here's how I use this in my business. I just wrapped up my luteal phase and my big project for this phase was accounting. It is long overdue that I get a new system. So I decided to do a full blown audit of both my personal and business spending. And if you remember, back to my follicular phase, part two, when I created my monthly calendar, the only task I assigned myself during my luteal phase was this, the money audit.

0:03:47 - (Carly): And if I'm being honest, I kind of crushed it. Okay. I spent most of this phase building the system, creating the Excel sheets, the formulas, the labels, the different tabs, the categories, how they all connected and talked to each other. And the best part, it came easily. It was enjoyable. Right? I put my phone on do not disturb, I closed the door and I just dug in, you know, and I made sure to take the time to do it right. Right. I'm building a system that was going to support me for years, and I had this superpower that really primed me to do that.

0:04:26 - (Carly): And let's be honest, like, who doesn't love a good, deep, focused session where you just kind of, you do feel like you're in this flow state because everything else just kind of like fades in the background and you're, you're just focused on what you're doing. And that feeling is really becoming rarer and rarer these days. But that's the beauty about tracking your cycle, right? You're reminded to give yourself time and space in your calendar, in your to do list for a deep, focused session.

0:04:57 - (Carly): Right? You're reminded it's not only possible, it's necessary. So another example from a previous cycle, my last luteal phase, instead of accounting, the task I assigned myself was to finish my website. I had written the copy earlier in my cycle during ovulation. So now this is where I actually executed. I added the copy to Squarespace, I organized the photos in the layout, I made it come to life. I finished the project.

0:05:24 - (Carly): All right? And remember, these superpowers, they do not just apply to business owners. If you are an employee, a mom, or just someone who wants their energy back, here are a few other tasks that your body is primed for during your luteal phase. So number one, handle administrative work, okay? Organize your desk or your office. Devote time to deep work, right? Review documents, contracts. You can also focus on financial work like accounting, budgeting, auditing.

0:05:58 - (Carly): This is where you really want to try to meet deadlines, right? Add deadlines to this phase or maybe help your team meet deadlines, right? Really wrap up projects. So that's the W phase, the W in power. And now I want to zoom back out and remind you of your power by showing you how all four phases work together using one project example, my website. So I was looking for some clarity around my zone of genius and really who I serve.

0:06:32 - (Carly): So I decided to ask for some answers during my period, right? And I rested and I waited and I got my answer. I remembered what I'm good at. I remembered who I am, what my vibe is, right? Who I work with. And I realized that my website really didn't reflect any of that properly. So then I moved into my follicular phase, the P, the plan phase. So I sat down with my whiteboard and I mapped out the project, right? What needed to change, what pages did I need to create, what was my message? What was the strategy? What are my brand colors?

0:07:11 - (Carly): And I made a list of every section and task that needed to be done. And then I moved into my ovulation phase, the O outward, where I wrote all the copy. I was primed to communicate. I was magnetic, confident, clear. The words just kind of flowed, right? I was really clear on what I was writing. And then on top of it, I shared some behind the scenes updates on Instagram. I showed my face. This is just overall where I communicated my message outward.

0:07:42 - (Carly): And then finally I shifted into my luteal phase, the W, the work I executed, okay, I plugged the copy into squarespace. I organized the photos, the layout. I changed my brand colors, I fixed the broken links, I wrapped it up and I hit publish. Four phases, one website. Done. Okay? And you can see how this all fits together. This is why you end with Ludio, the work phase. It brings it all full circle and it wraps up that project and allows you, you to begin again with a new cycle.

0:08:16 - (Carly): And of course, you know, some projects take more than one cycle. That's okay. But you get the gist of how we can really start to shift our tasks and our schedules and rearrange what we're doing to really set ourselves up for success. Now, I know what you're thinking. I can already hear some of you going, carly, I just, I can't control my entire life around my cycle. Like, I have kids, I have deadlines, I have a boss, Things that need to Happen on a timeline that I did not choose.

0:08:50 - (Carly): You're right. But it's a good thing. I never said that this was about being perfect, my friend. In fact, that's literally just trading one prison, one form of control for another and calling it wellness. Right? Trying to over optimize, over control things again and fit things perfectly into our cycle. It's not about that. This is about being 1% better. Are there times where I need to do accounting during my follicular phase? Yes.

0:09:19 - (Carly): Have I delivered workshops days before my period? Absolutely. But here's what I can control. I can look at my to do list today and maybe push the accounting task to next week when I'm in my luteal. Or maybe I could reschedule one social event or you know, a meeting collaboration to make my day just a little easier. When I'm on my period. Can I pick one thing to delay or maybe do so that I'm working with my body instead of against it?

0:09:50 - (Carly): For so long we have been taught that productive work means put the blinders on and do, do, do do. That more equals better, that doing equals success. That time management is the answer. This framework flips it. It's about energy management, doing the right things at the right time. This is about pausing before we just do. Especially as productivity obsessed doers. Right, all of you hard working achieving women that I see, but we just tend to blindly dive into work, stuck on a hamster wheel and always in forward motion.

0:10:34 - (Carly): So following this framework, even taking 10 minutes allows us to pause and ask ourselves what actually matters? What moves the needle? What do I really need to do today? You rearrange your tasks based on your energy and your superpowers, not your time. Right? And even if you're still accomplishing everything on that list in the same day, maybe you start with the thing that you're most primed for. Next thing you know that task takes half the time because your body was ready for it.

0:11:05 - (Carly): That's how you get your time back. Not by scheduling things tighter or by doing more in a day, but by doing things smarter. And the best part of all of this, it's frickin scientifically backed. This is your science backed permission slip to start to do business and life differently than what the world has taught you. You know, some may say this is feminine. I call it balanced. And I actually think that this instills a beautiful form of discipline.

0:11:37 - (Carly): Strategic, intentional discipline. Right? This is what it looks like to cultivate a world where you can be body led and a boss babe. You can Achieve your wildest dreams, but instead of at the expense of your body, it's because of your body that's the power method. Plan outward work. Rest your cycle as your compass, your body as your strategy. So if you are an entrepreneur, a business owner, or just a busy ass accomplishing woman, I hope this series gave you some gold.

0:12:14 - (Carly): And if you know someone who needs to hear this, someone who is burning out, doing all the things, always feeling behind, trying to control every aspect of her life, please send this their way. Share this Episode subscribe to my podcast Coffee with Carly and leave a review if any of this landed. And now typically this would be my sign off where I would say stay bold, stay balanced and I'll see you next week.

0:12:42 - (Carly): But I'm switching things up a little bit and I'm going to let you know that we are taking a little summer break on the podcast. I have a lot of travel coming up, I'm working on some in person workshops and I'm putting my full focus into the next live cohort of NSync, which is my group program where women learn how to actually understand their bodies, how to balance their hormones and feel like themselves again.

0:13:10 - (Carly): So the last time I ran it live was in January, but this round is taking on a whole new version. Think moving from just information to transformation. Okay? You're gonna learn how to sync your workouts, adjust your nutrition and use your cycle to support your health. Of course. But more than that, you are gonna learn how to set boundaries, how to stop energy leaks and quit over giving. Because as a dietitian and someone who has personally been there, I know firsthand that balancing your hormones is not just about food and exercise.

0:13:49 - (Carly): Okay? Stress, people pleasing and saying yes to every single thing when we really mean no can destroy your hormones faster than any diet ever could. This program is not just more information, it's experiential. It's about doing and taking action. But not by adding more to your plate, but the kind of doing what actually matters. Okay, so I am really just focusing on this new curriculum and I'm opening up pre sale for NSYNC in June.

0:14:21 - (Carly): And so if you do want early bird pricing, make sure that you are on my email list. The link to sign up is in the show notes of course. But the real reason I'm telling you all of this is because I'm respecting my rhythm. I see what I have capacity for right now and I refuse to spread myself thin in the name of quote showing up. So I'm pausing the podcast for a month or Two and I will be back. Don't you worry.

0:14:50 - (Carly): Right? And some business schmuck in a suit may say that I'm over sharing with my audience, but they don't know my people. They don't know you guys. They don't know my community because I'm sharing this with you to give you permission to do the same. Everyone says if you don't show up every week, they'll leave. You have to be consistent. Fuck that. Those people don't know you, they don't know this community, and they don't know a world where we're about rhythm over rules, where we do things our way and know that that's actually how you stay in the game.

0:15:25 - (Carly): I'm building this community brick by brick. I'm here for the long term, and I'm not burning out to prove a point. And I'm also not going anywhere. So if you need to pause something, pivot something, or change your rhythm, do it. That's the whole point of this series. That's the whole point of the work that we're doing here, Right? That's how we go from burned out to living the life beyond our wildest dreams.

0:15:53 - (Carly): All right? We plan, then we're outward, Then we work, then we rest. We use our cycle as our compass, our body as a strategy. And sometimes your body says it's time to rest, even if the rules say you shouldn't. All right, that is all I have. So now I want to say, like a good cup of coffee, stay bold, stay balanced, and I will see you in a couple months. And remember, rhythm over rules. Always.