Like you, I live with the daily challenges of being chronically ill.
After years of living in survival mode and feeling like I was barely keeping my head above water, I made the decision to find a way to create a more peaceful and fulfilling life–not just for me, but for my family.
I also made a promise to myself that if I ever found a way out of survival mode, that I would make it my purpose in life to share it with others who have the same struggles and limitations.
Here are 5 easy steps to take to help you become more strategic with the way you prioritize and adapt your daily life tasks using the least amount of physical and mental energy.
Essentially, it’s practical tips on smarter ways to get things done.
Sound good?
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Get Creative and Strategic
You have a fixed amount of energy each day. You need to be judicious with how you spend that energy. Your daily life doesn’t look like the next person’s and that is okay.
By being creative and strategic, you make a PLAN (ahead of time) to get your daily life activities and responsibilities done.
It’s also important to be organized, and to streamline how you accomplish tasks, what tasks you get help with, and what tasks you outsource completely.
You have a fixed amount of energy each day. You need to be judicious with how you spend that energy. Your daily life doesn’t look like the next person’s and that is okay.
By being creative and strategic, you make a PLAN (ahead of time) to get your daily life activities and responsibilities done.
It’s also important to be organized, and to streamline how you accomplish tasks, what tasks you get help with, and what tasks you outsource completely.
Automate as many tasks as you can and nail down decision-making processes so that when a new task or responsibility comes about, you know exactly how to figure out how to handle it.
Assess ~ Prioritize ~ Strategize ~ Customize
- Start by making a list of all of your everyday tasks.
- Organize those tasks into categories (i.e. cooking, cleaning, paying bills, grooming, grocery shopping, running errands, decluttering, organizing, medical appointments & information)
- Rewrite that list with the tasks that take priority at the top.
- Group the activities into one of 4 categories (Can Do, Need Help With, Outsource, Let Go)
- Use the following tips and strategies to be smarter about how you get things done.
- Make adjustments to accommodate your unique needs.
- Write down your plan of action for each task.
✅ Meal Planning Tips to Make Cooking Easy
- Grocery shop online and have your items delivered are available for curbside pickup. Not sure which option is right for you? Compare grocery delivery vs. grocery pickup.
- Use a grocery list printable. (you can get this free by signing up for access to our Resource Library)
- Plan a month’s worth of meals at a time.
- Use My FreezeEasy to make lots of healthy meals at once.
- Keep a running list of everything you have in your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator for quick reference during meal planning and making your weekly grocery list.
- Buy an Instant Pot. You won’t believe how easy it is to use (for you or someone else in your family.) Get more than 55 incredible recipes to cook in your InstantPot!
- Learn these 30 Cooking Hacks.
- Make sure you have these marvelous kitchen gadgets.
✅ Cleaning Hacks for Your Home
- Brain dump and make a list of all necessary cleaning tasks.
- Prioritize what is most important.
- Decide how often each cleaning task should be done. Then, stretch that time out in between. (You don’t have clean as often as most experts say.)
- Break cleaning tasks into smaller bite-size chunks. Although it is nice to have a completely clean house, trying to clean all at once can really take a toll on your body and your energy.
- Ask for help. (Get children, spouse, or friends to lend a hand.)
- When possible and if in your budget, hire help.
- Make the chore of cleaning easier on your body by using these genius cleaning hacks.
✅ Keeping Track of Bills with Brain Fog
- Create a printable list or spreadsheet to keep track of all bills that need to be paid and their due date.
- Decide how you will pay each bill every month (i.e. electronic draft from your bank, automatic draft, credit card billed monthly, snail mail, or in person.)
- Make additional arrangements as needed.
- Use a calendar app on your phone or device and set reminders for when to send in payments.
✅ Declutter & Organizing Made Easy
- Make a list of all areas that need to be decluttered.
- Choose areas that will have the most impact on your life to tackle first.
- Start small. You can pencil in on a calendar when you plan to address each area, but don’t make it a hard deadline. Its okay if you need to change.
- Don’t look at this as a sprint–it’s a marathon. Do what you can. Every area that you declutter will have a positive impact on your life.
- Try these 5 Brain-Friendly Organization Tips from a professional organizer.
- Need help with laundry room organization? Use these clever ironing board hacks.
✅ Medical Information Organization Tips
- Create a system for organizing all important medical information and paperwork. (This is super easy if you use our Complete Medical Binder Organization System (Printable & Digital Option)
- Here is a list of everything you should include in your medical binder.
- Use a pharmacy app (like Walgreens) to easily refill medications.
- Make a list or spreadsheet of all past medical history and medications.
- Write down all your current medications and dosages in case of an emergency.
- Keep track of your symptoms with our Free Symptom Tracker Chart. (You can get it in our FREE Medical Binder Starter Pack)
- Be prepared for every doctor’s appointment with this printable (also in our Medical Binder Starter Pack.)
✅ Clever Personal Grooming Hacks
- Use a stool or chair in the shower. If moving it in and out alot, consider taking the door off the hinges and replace it with a shower curtain.
- Try extra strong soap that is made for men when you can’t shower daily. It will help you smell fresher for longer 😉
- Dry shampoo can help you go longer between shampoos.
✅ Make Shopping Easy
- Shop online at places like Amazon that offer free return shipping.
- Buy clothes and shoes from stores online that also have a brick and mortar location near you. Then, you can make returns as needed without paying for shipping.
- Try a styling service like Stitchfix, Dia & Co., or Gwynnie Bee.
- Looking for gifts? Check out this collection of gift guides–you will probably find things you want to put on your wishlist!
These are some of my best tips for making life with chronic illness easier. If you are savvy, you can get more done with less effort.
Isn’t that something everyone would benefit from?
What are some of your tips for living well with chronic illness?