A practical guide to applying your human design type to your schedule
“Human beings have a right to be their own authority.” -Ra Uru Hu (founder of HD)
Hell yeah, they do!
Have you been trying to figure out how to get things done in a way that feels really good to you?
Without getting overwhelmed or super rigid in your approach?
Maybe you've been wondering how to fill your agenda with activities that make you feel like you're living your purpose on an energetic or soul level?
Yep, I hear these questions so often as a holistic time coach.
Let’s be real… traditional advice around time blocking and scheduling often makes us feel like failures in some way or another.
However, thanks to Ra Uru Hu, we do have the right to be our own authorities, especially when it comes to our precious time.
When you apply your human design to your schedule, it becomes so much easier to design your day to feel good to you and your soul. Continue reading to learn how!
This blog post is an expanded version of my Instagram Live conversation with Lexie Sparrow.
What is Human Design?
Human Design is a self-knowledge system. Similar to astrology, your chart is calculated based on when and where you were born.
However, Human Design combines Kabbalah, I'Ching, Myers-Briggs, astrology, biochemistry, genetics, and the chakra system all in one into this one big super-system.
Your chart tells you about your conscious and your subconscious gifts which are extremely helpful not only in your life but in business as well.
Conscious gifts are innate or things that you are generally aware of, for example, being a natural-born leader or speaking what other people are feeling.
Subconscious gifts are ones that we aren't necessarily aware of, but other people see in us.
Your chart can also tell you what some of your roadblocks are going to be. Because with your gifts also comes the opposite, which will be the challenges and the spaces where you can learn and grow.
What are the human design types?
The first place to start on your chart is called your energy type. Your type tells you when you're most productive, how you know when to do something, and signs that you’re on the right track. Which, as you know deeply impact how you spend your time.
Think of the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs self-assessments, if you’ve ever heard of them. For the Enneagram, you get a number. With Myers Briggs, you get a four combination. Human Design you get a type.
Your energy type is like the model of a car. But as we all know, there are different years that car was made, there are different colors, different interiors, or different add-ons. So this is like the very beginning of your design and a great place to start when diving into it.
There are five main types which I’ll go into each below: Generator, Manifesting Generator, Manifestor, Projector, and Reflector.
Generator
(AKA: The speeding train)
Yes, a train takes a while to get going, but once that train is going, it's going to take a lot for it to stop. This is what the generator energy is like.
You have a bunch of energy, most especially when you’re excited about something. But because it’s hard to stop doing something when your sights are set on something, it's important to wait until you know this is something I have to do.
Now it's not always possible to just work on things that we love to do. This is when delegating (or outsourcing) can come in and really support you.
How to apply your type when you’re designing your schedule:
Be sure it feels good to you. Create your calendar around the things that feel exciting, or a “hell yes” often as possible, and especially early each day and week.
Once you know when you’re most energized, it’s easy to create and stick to a rhythm making it easy to re-create into a reliable weekly agenda.
Refer back to your vision or goal in each time block description or task you add, especially for the things that you have to do but don’t love doing.
Include reminders to slow down, pause, or log off at the end of each day.
Group similar projects or goals together in your schedule so you can go deep and fast.
Take moments to look back at your schedule to look and celebrate all you’ve done.
Manifestor
Manifesterors are initiators, independent, quick starters, and change-makers. This energy is often described as a pushing energy. Manifestors are like, “I'm going here today, you can come with me if you feel like it and if you don't, then don't come with me, but I'm going.”
You are “supposed to” use your energy to inform people about what you’re actually going to do and allow others to follow along.
How to apply your type when you’re designing your schedule:
You need space to follow your energetic urges for what you want to work on and to be impulsive. But you also need some boundaries and systems in place, because otherwise nothing will ever get finished. Create a calendar that is essentially the bare minimum structure so you can accomplish the things that need to get done but still can react to things, change your mind, and flow.
Have a big to-do list somewhere, and then at the start of each day, add into your calendar the specific tasks that feel like a “hell yeah!”
If you’re finding you're just not finishing projects, reach out and hire a VA to keep you accountable or do all the small tasks you don’t want to do.
Your energy fluctuates so do not expect yourself to have an everyday morning and evening routine.
Wondering how to create a schedule made for you?
Digital Calendars For Humans will teach you how.
Manifesting Generator
MG’s have a ton of energy like a generator, but just as a manifestor does every day looks different. They are the original multi-passionate human. They can multitask and love to use their energy in many different ways.
How to apply your type when you’re designing your schedule:
Do not add anything that doesn’t excite you in some way in your schedule or back yourself into a corner by doing one thing a day (you probably won’t feel very accomplished at the end of that day).
Give yourself lots of options with some structure that generally feels aligned with your energy. I call this intuitive calendar management!
Put time caps on things, and maybe not to cap where you have to end it but like have a little check-in with yourself to make sure you’re still excited about it.
Have a big to-do list somewhere, and then at the start of each day, add into your calendar the specific tasks that feel like a “hell yeah!”
Remind yourself it’s okay to work on like five or six different things in a day, but keep track of where you started and finished on each project.
Projector
(AKA: The lighthouse)
Here we have a non-energy type. What does that mean? They don’t have much of their own energy and they derive energy from other people. They are generally called the non-workers. Efficiency (work smarter, not harder) is the name of their game.
However, you can quickly burn yourself out by kind of stealing other people's energy, so to speak. So rather look at output energy versus input energy. Output energy is things that are really going to drain you or steal your energy (ie, meetings, calls, or teaching). Input energy will give you energy back (ie, learning, studying, and being creative).
How to apply your type when you’re designing your schedule:
Batch output vs. input days or make sure that you’re balancing output activities with input activities every day and week.
Implement short work sprints and build in more rest breaks. For example, Wednesdays off instead of working the whole week and having to wait for the weekends.
Plan your weeks in a relaxed state, perhaps in your bed or on the couch with candles and music.
Sign up for regular co-working dates to leverage the energy of others.
Design your days in alignment with your natural gifts and talents. What are you really good at doing? How might you apply that to your time?
Struggle to follow traditional time blocking advice? Click here to read my top 5 secrets.
Reflector
We have another non-energy being. The rarest of the population, coming in at 1% of people. Reflectors don't have consistent energy. What often happens is they're picking up on other people's energy all the time which it can be really hard for them to figure out how they actually feel about what decisions they want to make.
If you’ve ever been around someone who’s excited and working hard, it’s easy for you to follow along (generally).
How to apply your type when you’re designing your schedule:
Include a lot more time to work on and sit with things so you can really figure out what's best for you in the big picture, not just in that moment.
Schedule things at least one month or two in the future so you have plenty of time and space to change your mind, make decisions, and tweak things.
Dedicate time to tune out the noise, go inwards, and come back to your truth. Regularly.
Creating a system of repeating tasks to automate things so you don’t have to think about them is amazing for you.
Apply unique-to-you boundaries to protect your energy within your agenda.
Grab your human design chart for free
Click here to go to the website I used to find my Human Design chart.
There are also a lot of amazing human design readers who will sit down with your chart and give you a customized reading which you can then integrate those findings into your calendar and time management.
However, beware! It can be easy to collect information and tools like Human Design without integrating and seeing the huge benefits in your life.
Integrate your Human Design Type.
Get the most out of your time.
Grab Digital Calendars For Humans now.
About the co-contributor:
Lexie Sparrow is a Holistic business strategist who helps coaches, healers, and wellness entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses online using tools like human design. Learn more about Lexie.
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read full privacy policy here.