Check out our storefront for self-advocacy tools and consultations. Or leave us a tip to show your support. Welcome to Patient Empowerment Pulse: Real-Life Wisdom from a Professional Patient Who I Am Welcome to Patient Empowerment Pulse, a blog built on the hard-won wisdom of someone who’s lived both sides of the healthcare divide. I’m Joanna, and this is more than just a health blog—it’s a survival guide for anyone trying to navigate chronic illness, complicated care teams, and a medical system that often feels like it’s working against you. I didn’t set out to become a professional patient. I trained for a career in culinary arts. But life had other plans. Over the years, I was diagnosed with lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, spondylitic arthritis, inflammatory-onset diabetes, and a growing list of related conditions. That’s when I discovered that all my professional training didn’t fully prepare me for what it means to actually live this every day. This blog is where I share the str...
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Let’s be honest: most productivity advice doesn’t work if you’re chronically ill.
When your energy is unpredictable, your body doesn’t cooperate, and rest isn’t optional, the “hustle harder” mindset falls apart fast. That doesn’t mean you’re unmotivated or lazy—it means the system wasn’t built for bodies like ours. But here’s the good news: we can build our own.
This is the spoonie approach to productivity. It’s not about doing more—it’s about doing what matters, in a way that your body can actually sustain. It’s realistic, gentle, and rooted in lived experience. These tips aren’t hypothetical. They come from the trenches—shared by people who know what it’s like to have more tasks than energy and more goals than spoons.
So if you’re looking for permission to rest, tools that actually help, or just someone who gets it, you’re in the right place.
1. Ditch the All-or-Nothing Mindset
One of the biggest lies productivity culture tells us is that “success” means doing it all, every day, no matter what. That’s just not real life for us.
You don’t need to complete a full workday to be productive. You don’t need to finish every task on your list. Sometimes, success looks like brushing your teeth. Or answering one email. Or just not spiraling about the laundry you didn’t fold.
Letting go of perfectionism makes room for progress. It’s how we build consistency without burning out.
Why it matters:
Studies show that self-compassion is correlated with improved well-being and better motivation in people managing chronic health conditions. Source: NIH
2. Learn Your Energy Patterns
Every spoonie has a rhythm—even if it’s chaotic at first glance. Some of us crash in the afternoons. Others have a golden hour in the early morning or late at night. The key is learning your pattern.
Start by tracking your symptoms and energy levels for a couple of weeks. You can jot it down in a notebook, use a wearable, or try a tracker app. Once you start to notice trends, lean into them. Schedule your high-energy tasks during your up windows and save chores, calls, or emails for your slower times.
Affiliate Tip: The Fitbit Charge 6 is a solid option for tracking HRV, sleep, and energy trends.
This isn’t about micromanaging your life—it’s about respecting your limits and making them work for you.
Why it matters:
This technique aligns with pacing strategies used in managing conditions like ME/CFS and long COVID. Source: CDC
3. Use the 10% Rule
This one’s been a game-changer for a lot of us: stop while you still feel okay.
If you know you can handle an hour of work before crashing, only do 50 minutes. That leftover 10% becomes a buffer that protects you from post-exertional malaise or next-day payback.
It’s counterintuitive at first—especially if you’re used to pushing through—but preserving a little energy helps you stay more functional over the long haul. Trust the process. You’re not being lazy; you’re playing the long game.
Why it matters:
This concept mirrors energy envelope theory, which helps prevent boom-and-bust cycles in chronic fatigue syndromes. Source: Mayo Clinic
4. Embrace Tiny Wins
Tiny wins are the heart of spoonie productivity. They’re the small, doable steps that add up to real progress—even when life is hard.
Did you refill your water bottle? That counts. Did you reply to one message that’s been sitting for three days? That counts. Did you get out of bed and open your laptop, even if you didn’t do much else? Still counts.
Celebrating these moments helps shift the narrative from “I didn’t do enough” to “I did what I could—and that matters.”
Why it matters:
Psychologists have found that celebrating small wins builds momentum and increases motivation over time. Source: Harvard Business Review
5. Use Tools That Actually Help
Not all productivity tools were designed with chronic illness in mind—but some of them can still be game-changers if you find the right fit.
Look for tools that reduce friction, not add it:
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Timers like Focus Keeper or Pomofocus to gently pace work sessions without pressure
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Symptom + task trackers like My Care Companion (available here) to spot patterns and prioritize
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Wearables like the Fitbit Charge 6 or the Omron Platinum Blood Pressure Monitor to track HRV, sleep, or cardiovascular stress
The goal isn’t to become data-obsessed—it’s to gather just enough information to support your body with a little more kindness and strategy.
Why it matters:
Biofeedback-informed planning helps many people with chronic illness improve pacing, rest quality, and symptom management. Source: NIH
Final Thoughts
Living with chronic illness means living with limits—but it also means learning how to move through the world in your own way.
You are not broken. You are adapting. And that adaptation takes so much strength.
Productivity, for us, isn’t about being impressive—it’s about being intentional. And when we share what works, we make the road a little easier for the next person.
So here’s your reminder: your pace is valid. Your tiny wins matter. And you’re not in this alone.
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