How Human Design Can Help You Get Shit Done
Using Human Design To Be Your Most Productive
The self-directed nature of entrepreneurship is both enticing and a source of unrest. Visions of a boss telling you what to do begin to look like a daydream instead of a nightmare. And while you know you don’t want to work for someone else again. There can still be a desire to have some external direction to help you get things done in and on your business. Well, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the magic of Human Design. A system that hands you an instruction manual for the body you inhabit.
In non-woo-woo speak, it explains how you function. It can tell you how your energy works, how your creation cycles work, and how you make decisions. Learn how your intuition works, how much organization you need, and what environments you work best in. Your Human Design chart will also give you insight to so much more.
This article will explore how your energy works and how adrenaline energy comes into the productivity mix. All according to your Human Design chart.
How the Human Design System Can Unlock Productivity:
What is Human Design?
Human Design is a quantum system that combines several other systems into one that helps us discover our unique energetic signature. It draws on Astrology, the I Ching, the Kabbalah, and the Chakras, to name a few. It uses the same birth information that astrology uses (date, time, and location) to generate a chart, called a Bodygraph.
If you’d like to dive even more into what Human Design is, I highly suggest you check out this page on Jovian Archive. Jovian Archive is a great place to start as it is an archive of Human Design source material.
As with any article about a self-discovery tool, we will only be looking at a couple of pieces of the system that will give us clues about a specific part of life. While this article will illuminate some things for you, it is not your whole story, nor is it a comprehensive look at the tool.
To get the most out of this article, I suggest generating your Human Design chart on Jovian Archive. If you’ve never seen a chart before, don’t panic! For the sake of this article, we will only be addressing two things in the chart: your Sacral Center and your Root Center.
Pro Tip:
When populating your chart, make sure you put your birth time in 24-hour format. If you don’t know your birth time, use noon to have a starting point, but please know that once you have an accurate time, the chart will likely change.
The chart will look something like the image below and we will be looking at the two centers circled in bright blue on this image:
Image from Jovian Archive
All you need to know about these two centers right now is knowing if these centers are defined or undefined.
Within these circled centers, the top red one is the Sacral, and the bottom brown one is the Root. This image shows these two centers as defined (because they are colored in). If they were undefined, they would be white, such as the white triangle to the left of the circled centers.
The Sacral Center – The Energy to Do
Human Design Chart With A Defined Sacral
When we are talking about productivity, I find it helpful to start with the Sacral center because it is our life force energy. It’s the energy to do or not to do.
The Sacral center is also indicative of the energy type you are. So if you have a defined Sacral like the image shows, your Human Design type is either a Generator or Manifesting Generator (MG).
Having this center colored in means you produce this energy on your own. So a defined Sacral is kind of like having your own battery pack to do, do, do. Theoretically, defined Sacrals don’t have issues getting things done because it’s in their nature to be doing things.
The challenges a defined Sacral might have are finding a focus for all of this doing energy. You could also experience periods of extreme burnout, frustration, or anger.
Here’s the thing, just because you HAVE the energy to do something, doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Defined Sacrals can get caught up in the “shoulds” because there’s energy there to address them.
This can look like something similar to the Energizer bunny, never stopping, until you finally reach a boiling point.
What To Keep In Mind For Defined Sacral Centers
Let’s first address the temptation to do all the things, all the time. This video on prioritizing your projects is a great place to start. Emily walks you through a process of discovering your top priorities with a method that I find to be resonant with defined Sacrals.
Second, let’s address frustration and burnout. In the video linked above, Emily mentions that the tasks that bring money in should be high on that priority list. But what happens if those are the tasks you no longer enjoy doing?
Being frustrated with the things that used to bring you joy is a major check-point for defined Sacrals. This is because your most aligned way of being is to spend your life force, Sacral energy on the things that light you up and bring deep satisfaction.
If you have a defined Sacral and you find that you are constantly tired, frustrated, and not working on what you “should” work on, then I suggest you pause and get into the big unearthing questions about whether or not you’re doing the things that light you up.
If what you are doing does not light you up, then it either needs to leave or it needs to get upleveled into something exciting to you. When you do this, and you’re deeply satisfied with what you spend your energy on, more opportunities flow your way.
Human Design Chart With An Undefined Sacral
Now, if you have an undefined Sacral, your Human Design type is either a Projector, Manifestor, or Reflector. Your chart might look something like this:
Image from Jovian Archive
Having an undefined Sacral means you do not have consistent access to life force, Sacral energy. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have any energy at all. But it does mean that you work differently than approximately 65% of the population. (Yep, Generators are about 35% of the population and Manifesting Generators are about 30%.) Source: Jovian Archive
In fact, you might be the person who is doing the most! That is because having an undefined center means you take in other people’s energy in that space, and then project it back out. So when we are talking about the Sacral, that can look like you working yourself ragged and not knowing when to shut it off.
What To Keep In Mind For Undefined Sacral Centers
What is far more important for you is to learn your rhythms. Having an undefined Sacral means that your healthy version of work is in spurts or cycles. If you feel the energy to do, then follow that and do. But if there is no energy there, take this as your permission to rest.
If we’re being honest, this is a total life shift. So if you have an undefined Sacral and not living in this way already, this is going to sound bizarre and potentially unsafe. The truth is, our society wasn’t set up in this way, but undefined Sacrals are here to pave a new path.
If this is a totally new way of working for you, my first suggestion is to make this transition slowly. A great place to start is to allow yourself to rest when you feel you need it. You’re not wrong, bad, or weak for needing rest. The more in tune you are with these cycles, the more opportunities will flow your way.
Then, when you notice you have a big burst of energy or excitement to work on something, follow it. If you let it sit without taking action, that energy will evaporate eventually. Leaving you with very little to put towards the things that need to get done.
In many cases, undefined Sacrals can get more done in less time due to the wisdom gained from experimenting with your energy cycles.
Undefined Sacral Hack:
If you absolutely need to find the energy to get something done, go to a public space to work. Statistically speaking, you’ll be in the presence of a defined Sacral and your body will feel the life force energy in the room and use it for your own activity. This isn’t going to be a perfect solution for everyone or for all times, but it does come in handy.
The Root Center – Adrenaline Energy
The Root center comes into the productivity equation because it helps us with managing our time. Adrenaline energy lives here, plus it has lots of things to say about to-do lists. This center doesn’t impact what energy type you are but it can create the pressure to be productive.
Human Design Chart With A Defined Root
Like with the Sacral, if you have a defined Root, you have consistent access to the energy in this center. This can feel like having an internal timekeeper, letting you know what the right order to work on things is and for how long.
A challenge for you to navigate is procrastination. Because your Root is defined, you have reliable access to adrenaline energy, so tackling a project in the 11th hour tends to be a successful tactic for you.
While this tactic isn’t usually a detriment to your work, it can drain you of your life force, Sacral energy. (Whether your Sacral is defined or not.)
Defined Root center people tend to enjoy the planning process. Just make sure you’re not planning as a means of procrastination.
Alternatively, if you’re a defined Root and you don’t enjoy planning, take this as an invitation to explore new planning techniques. The people you work with will be thankful for it, as sometimes, you tend to be on your own schedule.
Human Design Chart With An Undefined Root
Yep, you have inconsistent access to this time-keeping, adrenal energy. However, you’re even more likely to be running around, stressed to the max, trying to get a massive to-do list done than a defined Root. And yes, it’s due to that projection I was talking about earlier.
For you, to-do lists can feel like a 10-ton weight on your brain. “It all has to get done now!”, you think in a tizzy. And then you start relying on adrenaline energy to help you get things done in the last few seconds. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s almost always stressful and draining.
The Root pressure tells you that everything needs to get done right this second. Depending on other factors, that will either look like you trying to do several things at once, or nothing even gets touched until you are hours away from the due date.
To work with this, I invite you to make peace with planning. I promise that if you take the time to plan, you will spend less time doing the tasks. Additionally, two of the possible reasons why to-do lists cause pressure are either:
- it’s a mental to-do list, not a written one, and/or;
- you haven’t mapped out when you will complete each item.
Make planning a fun experiment. Start small. The undefined Root is so tempted to do 180-degree shifts but that makes you rely on adrenaline energy that you don’t have consistent access to.
When you start planning, double all your timelines because it will take longer than you think it will. Start to notice if you already have natural routines. If you do, work with them instead of trying to override them.
This article written by Kathleen Shannon about Structured Flexibility is a great read for undefined Roots. Notice that there’s a blend of natural rhythm and routine along with traditional planning.
Your Next Step to Working By Human Design
After addressing just two parts of your Human Design chart, you might be having epiphanies about how you’ve always been. Hopefully you’re feeling validated about your energy. Or maybe you’re feeling like this is way off base. All feelings are acceptable here.
To move forward with your findings today, I suggest picking one suggestion out of this article and committing to experimenting with it over the next two to four weeks. See how it feels. See if it brings peace, satisfaction, delight, or success. If it doesn’t, either change it up or let it go.
If you want to learn more about Human Design or other woo and magic in your business, check out the replays of our past woo-inspired event, The Gathering. You can even catch a session about Human Design and Business from Alexandria. Available to members of the Being Boss Clubhouse for only $77/month. Sign up for your free 14-day trial today!
