MVP Menus - Matching Your Energy to Your Work

Your MVP Routine Doesn’t Need to Be Pretty—It Needs to Work

Let’s talk about what actually holds your day together.

Not the planner you forgot to open.
Not the color-coded schedule you made at midnight.
Not the aspirational morning routine that looks great on Instagram but collapses the second your dog throws up or your kid forgets their backpack.

We’re talking about your MVP Menu—your Minimum Viable Productivity system.
The set of tools, actions, and transitions that help you function when your brain says “nope.”

Why MVP Matters More Than Motivation

Here’s the truth: most days aren’t ideal.
They’re messy. Reactive. Hijacked by people, hormones, tech, and fatigue.

Motivation is great when it’s available. But when it’s not?
You need a system that doesn’t rely on it.

Your MVP Menu says:

“Here’s what I can do with what I’ve got today.”

No shame. No streaks. Just scaffolding that flexes with your bandwidth.

What’s Actually Happening in Your Brain

Let’s break it down with a bit of science (no jargon, I promise).

🧠 Executive Function Theory:
Your brain’s ability to plan, prioritize, and follow through is a resource, not a default setting.
When it’s taxed by stress, hormones, or sensory overload, routines break—not because you’re inconsistent, but because your capacity changed and your system didn’t.

🌡 Polyvagal Theory:
When your nervous system is dysregulated (fight/flight/freeze), your brain isn’t interested in your planner. It’s focused on survival.
The fix isn’t forcing the task. It’s restoring safety and simplicity.

Anchor routines—like MVP menus and micro-rituals—offer that safety.
They shrink the gap between “I can’t” and “I can try.”

How to Build an MVP Menu That Actually Works

This isn’t about building a “perfect” day.
It’s about identifying what holds under pressure—and then making that visible, repeatable, and accessible.

✅ Step 1: Gut Check

Look at what you said you’d do last week… vs. what you actually did.
What held up even on the crappy days? What fell apart?

✅ Step 2: Strip It Down

For each part of your day (morning, mid-day, evening), ask:

• What supports me when I feel good?

• What still helps when I don’t?

That second part? That’s your MVP material.

✅ Step 3: Rebuild in Layers

Create 2–3 versions of your routine based on your capacity:

• Low Capacity Day
  You’re foggy, overstimulated, or sleep-deprived.
  🧩 MVP: protein + coffee, sit upright, check calendar—no action yet.

• Mid Capacity Day
  You’re not great, but you’re functional.
  🧩 MVP: 10-minute walk, reheat leftovers, tackle one admin task.

• High Capacity Day
  You’re focused, steady, and have energy to spare.
  🧩 MVP: prep meals, move your body, initiate a big task you’ve avoided.

This is what flexibility looks like.
And when it’s visible? It becomes repeatable.
When it’s repeatable? It becomes a rhythm.

This Isn’t About Discipline. It’s About Design.

Routines that require full energy, motivation, or willpower are systems built to fail.
Especially if you’re navigating midlife hormones, ADHD, or chronic stress.

You don’t need a better routine.

You need a system that works on your worst day.

📥 Ready to Build Yours?

The Routine Reset is your guide to building a system that flexes.
No charts. No rigid plans. Just a customizable rhythm menu that adapts to your life.

🧭 Start with one anchor (like mornings), build it in layers, and stop starting from scratch every time your energy tanks.

👉 To take back your mornings, Join the Morning Reclaim now!

No streaks. No pressure. Just tools that hold when everything else doesn’t.