Human Design & Productivity

I often get asked, how do I get so much done especially as a projector? When it comes to human design and productivity this is a topic I am very passionate about. We live in a world where the demands on our time are heavy and as entrepreneurs the more focused I can become the more potent my productivity can be. While I believe for all of us human design types the potency of our productivity becomes the key. I’m going to share with you the common productivity struggles I see the different human design types face, the productivity gates of the sacral center and some productivity suggestions based on type. 

Productivity, Human Design, & the Reality of our Distracted World

The reality is we live in a world that is designed to keep us distracted with near-constant interruptions and the pressure “to be responsive”. Every app, notification, ding, bing has the potential to draw you away from focusing. These apps and productivity tools are well-meaning but all too often I find that they end up controlling the person instead of you controlling it.

Focused time is not easy to come by in our culture and it is something that you have to cultivate. It is something that you must be intentional about. While I realize everyone has a different process for getting things done, I believe distraction is a huge part of the problem and why I’m able to accomplish so much.

For me, I’ve had to untwine my relationship with being productive. I’ve had to hold it and look at it from different angles and be clear about what actually matters to me. What are my priorities? The reality is that not all tasks are created equal and we each have different times of day where we have the best focusing power.

It’s not about how much time your spend on something but the potency that you bring to that hour…yet I think most apps and most planning tools fall short in supporting people in accomplishing their goals, particularly entrepreneurs.

 The 3 Most Common Productivity Struggles for Human Design Types.

From my experience, entrepreneurs of all types, Projector, Manifestor, Manifesting Generator, Generator, Reflector struggle with one of ( or a combination of) the following things with respect to getting things done – particularly when it comes to moving the needle forward on their own business.

1. The task is too big for the time allotted
2. The task is too small for the time allotted
3. There is no task for the time that is set aside.

Let’s use the example of a sales page…say I’ve set aside an hour to work on the said sales page – well doing a sales page start to finish in one hour is too big of a task for the time allotted. Breaking this down into smaller-sized tasks so that you don’t end up overwhelmed and not doing anything.

Then let’s take scenario 2 – the task is too small for the time allotted – I see this often with social media. “I blocked two hours to get a social media post done” – Far too much time for the task at hand since work expands to the time allowed.

Lastly, scenario three – happens – great I’ve got 2 free hours to work on my business….what should I work on? Hmmm….let me just check Instagram first and before you know it you spent the entirety of the time scrolling social media instead of working.

 Deconditioning Our Relationship with Productivity

When I do quarterly planning with clients we break our projects down into milestones and those milestones into tasks – tasks that can be completed in 30 to 60 minutes that way they don’t face decision fatigue when they do have time….

And the reality is not all tasks are created equal. For example, I love to write in the morning. That is when I am most creative. This time in the morning is precious to me. I use it wisely to write content for my blog and for my lesson text in my courses. I do not use it for doing technical things or something that doesn’t require as much of my brain power.

When we can untwine our conditioning (and dopamine hits) from apps and notifications and we can reframe our relationship with what it means to be productive. For example, it’s between the hours of 9 and 5 so I “should” be working. When we take charge of the things that are trying to distract us and we get clear on the step to get us where we want to be we can bring potency to our work, we can bring intention to our time and we can break free from the hamster wheel of not getting anything done especially when it comes to working on our businesses.

Here’s the good news, you are not alone in this. I have experienced this myself and witnessed client after client struggle with these same things. The reality is our time here is precious. Our time is our most valuable asset. Our time is not renewable. We don’t get a second chance at hour or a day.

A dear friend of mine said, “I am a snob about my time.” And that has really stuck with me because when we can be more intentional with our time we can with more intentionality create our lives.

For many of us we need focused, distraction (and notification) free time in order to reach our potential (I’m looking at you MG’s – I know most of you need lots of balls in the air and multi-tasking to be productive). This happens when we can clearly outline our days and weeks, set goals, and follow the ebbs and flows of energy while crossing things off of our to-do list.

I truly believe it is not about the number of hours you work it is about the potency of that hour. It is about the value you bring to the tasks you accomplish in that hour. It is about what you can accomplish when you bring intention to your work instead of allowing the demands on your attention to run your day. You run your day, not your phone, your app, your social media, or your clients. YOU.

Of course, this brings up the conundrum of what I can do in an hour, you might not be able to do, and vice versus. It again becomes about knowing who you are, what your strengths are, and leveraging your talents while getting support for the areas you may struggle. Understanding this is often the key that unlocks the next level for many of my clients. If you have never done a time study, I highly recommend you do one. It’s uncomfortable and it brings a level of awareness that you’d otherwise would never have.

Of course, all of this talk about productivity comes with the caveat of understanding your human design and following (and honoring) your strategy and authority are key to actually being productive. So let’s talk about productivity by type in human design and where productivity comes from in human design.

Human Design, Productivity, & the Sacral Center

Now let’s get back to productivity and the sacral center

First let’s start by understanding where the gates are headed within the bodygraph. This will give us an understanding of the themes that you will experience within the gates.

Gates connect to the 

Identity Center – Focused on direction & authentic connection

Throat – Empowering your voice 

Spleen Center – Securing your safety and nourishment

Root Center – This energy is known as format energy and has an influence over the entire chart. The gates connected to the root center are the  pressure to do or bring something to fruition

Solar Plexus –  The energy to create and bond (develop intimacy)

Now let’s dive into the meanings behind the gates…

Gates Connected to the Identity Center

Gate 5 – Create patterns or rhythms for the flow of your energy

Gate 14 – Generate energy for the creation of resources, especially for others

Gate 29 – Generate perseverance (and surrender) to anything you say “yes” to

Gate 34 – Your energy empowers your authentic action

Gates Connected to the Solar Plexus

Gate 59 – The energy to create or bond both with a partner or in business (this energy flows to the will center)

Gates Connected to the Root – FORMAT ENERGY – This activates the root energy into action or not and influences the entire chart

Gate 9 – The energy to focus and concentrate. Remember all gates and channels hold duality or dichotomy, so the opposite may also be true and many people with this gate or the whole channel may be diagnosed with ADHD.

Gate 3 –  The mutative energy to start something new and bring order to something new arising, to bring something new form

Gate 42 – The energy of entering into cycles and finishing them. Completing what has been started. You may struggle to get into action with this gate but once in action you complete cycles.

Gates Connected to the Spleen

Gate 27 – This energy is strong, tribal, protective and nourishing energy

Gate 34 – You will use your energy to empower your survival

Gates Connected to the Throat

Gate 34 – You will use your energy to empower your voice.

Understanding Your Productive Human Design Energy

 Understanding the energy you have within the sacral will help you understand how best to be productive. It will give discernment to the energy you have when in the doing, which is ultimately the basis of being productive.

I have the format energy of gate 9 and as a non-sacral being, I can often and easily get stuck in the on position “doing”. Focusing for hours at a time. This can also erupt as complete squirrel syndrome where I am jumping from task to task not getting anything done. This is a flag to me that I need to walk away from the task at hand.

You will also be able to recognize when the doing energy is not your own and you can shift your state so that you are in the doing of your zone of genius.

A Note on Productivity for Sacral Beings – Human Design Generators & Manifesting Generators

If you are a sacral being, Generators and Manfiesting Generators, you will have a full channel (or multiple channels) and defined sacral. This will be energy that is always present and your default for doing. Then you gate energy will take precedence. You will have the ability to do and get things done.

Most generators don’t like to be interrupted and will often struggle to get back on task once they have been nudged or distracted. The key for the generator is to give yourself focused time for your methodical ways. Generators aren’t meant to switch gears from task to task they are meant to stay focused on one task at hand.

While most manifesting generators will want to bounce from task to task and will be able to switch gears seamlessly and easily, in fact that process will work best for them. Manifesting Generators SHOULD be multi-tasking. They should be juggling multiple balls in the air. They should be bouncing from task to task. Yes, they may skip steps along the way but this is part of their process. They will need to go back or hire someone to support them.

A Note on Productivity for Non-Sacral Beings – Human Design Projectors, Manifestors & Reflectors

If you are a non-sacral being, Projector, Manifestor, Reflector you will be able to discern what energy is yours by understanding your gates, as in the example above with my Gate 9 Energy of focusing. Understanding which energy is yours will help you figure out if you are pushing your body beyond it limits.

This is very common with non-energy beings since they are being conditioned by energy beings. Learning to discern which energy is yours and listening to your body’s cues about when it is time to stop is incredibly important for non-sacral beings so that they don’t face burnout.

For projectors, you are not here to do, you are here to guide, however I am a reasonable persona and I realize for many projectors it is not realistic for you to do nothing. I know this is true for me in my business. Honor the ebbs and flows of your energy is important and recognizing when you are stuck in the on position is incredibly important (and learning your body’s cue’s) is key. When I first learned about my projector ways, I opted to give myself short time blocks to work so that I could learn to recognize my body’s cues.

For manifestors, your energy is going to come in bursts where you will be able to work for a few days at a time and then you will need to rest. You have great starting power, but you may struggle to finish things. Know this about yourself so that you can go back and finish or get support with finishing.

For reflectors, honoring the right environment to do the work will be key to your success.  Make sure you have a space where you feel good about working and doing and the energy will follow.

If you have any questions about your human design type, the gates, and the channels of the sacral center please feel free to ask them below. Of course, when reading this please do note that when I support clients I look at the entirety of their being, their past lived experiences, and the goals they want to achieve. The advice in this article while powerful is not customized to your individual chart. If you’d like to explore human design more consider joining HD Your Biz.

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