Cycle Trend
Whether your charged phases are getting longer or shorter over time.
What is Cycle Trend?
Cycle Trend tracks whether your charged (high-energy) phases are getting longer or shorter over time. It compares your recent charged phase durations to your historical average.
This is a long-term signal. It unlocks at 3 completed cycles, which usually means a couple of weeks of tracking, but the signal becomes more reliable with more data.
Why it matters
The length of your charged phases is one of the most meaningful metrics in your energy data. Longer charged phases mean more sustained productive time. Shorter ones mean something is cutting them off earlier.
Changes in cycle length often reflect changes in your life: new routines, different workloads, better or worse sleep, medication changes, or seasonal shifts. Tracking the trend helps you connect the dots.
For ADHD brains, cycle length is also connected to pacing. When you learn to pull back before the crash, your charged phases can actually get longer because you're not depleting the resource pool as aggressively [1].
How it works
Cycle Trend compares the duration of your most recent completed charged phases to all your earlier ones. If recent phases are consistently longer (1 day or more), the trend is "Growing." If shorter, "Shrinking." If about the same, "Stable."
Reading your results
| Value | What it means |
|---|---|
| Growing | Your charged phases are lasting longer. Your capacity may be increasing |
| Shrinking | Your charged phases are getting shorter. Something may be cutting them off |
| Stable | Charged phase length is consistent. Your cycles are predictable |
What you can do
- When growing: Your capacity seems to be increasing. This could be the result of better pacing, routine changes, or other factors. Consider gradually taking on slightly more during charged phases, but watch Burnout Risk closely.
- When shrinking: Something is shortening your productive windows. Common causes include overextension during recent charged phases (push too hard, crash faster next time), disrupted sleep, accumulated stress, or cycles getting cut short. Check Dip Pattern and Recovery Pace for related context.
- When stable: Predictability is valuable. You know roughly how long your charged phases last, which helps you plan work and commitments accordingly.
Sources
- Antcliff, D., et al. (2018). "Activity pacing: moving beyond taking breaks and slowing down." Quality of Life Research. PMC5997723
- Castellanos, F.X., et al. (2011). "Intraindividual variability in ADHD and its implications for research of causal links." Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. PubMed 21769722