Guest post written by author Evie Mitchell
Evie Mitchell is a USA Today bestselling romance author from Australia who specialises in steamy, inclusive, body-positive romance. A thirty-something author living with disability, she’s a fierce advocate for #OwnVoices storytelling and believes everyone deserves to see themselves getting swept off their feet. Evie also writes paranormal romance and romantasy as E.V. Mitchell. She lives and writes on the lands of the Ngunnawal People in Canberra, Australia. You can find out more at EvieMitchell.com or follow her at @EvieMitchellAuthor on socials.
I’ve published 38 books since 2019, written another 14, and I work as a full-time romance author—all while living with chronic illness.
Some days, I wake up and my brain is firing on all cylinders. I can draft thousands of words and tackle complex plot problems without wanting to cry (mostly). Other days, getting out of bed is the achievement. Flare days are unpredictable, and treatment days can knock me sideways. My energy isn’t something I can schedule.
If you’re managing a chronic illness, disability, or a body that doesn’t cooperate with your ambitions, you already know that traditional productivity advice often isn’t built for us. I needed a system that allowed me to be productive on both good and bad days, without the bad days feeling like a failure.
Enter: The energy-based Kanban board.
How It Works: Organising by Capacity
Traditional Kanban is designed to manage workload and the flow of work. While this is a great system, I found I needed more flexibility to manage the fluctuations of my illness, than the project-based deadline-driven approach.
I took the fundamentals of Kanban and adjusted them slightly. The core idea is simple, instead of organising tasks by project and deadline, I organise them by how much energy they require, then by deadlines. Every task gets a colour (or a label like L, M, H) based on its energy cost.
When I sit down to work, I don’t have to wonder what to do; I assess my capacity and grab a matching task.
- Good day? Grab a high-energy “Blue” task (like drafting or Editing).
- Treatment day? Stick to lower-energy “Pink” tasks (like newsletters or business admin).
- In between? Choose a medium-energy tasks.
The tasks are pre-sorted into deadlines. This removes decision fatigue and prevents me from missing due dates, and from wasting a rare high-energy day on admin tasks I could do while in the midst of brain fog.
Why This Works For Me
I’ve tried a lot of systems over the years, but this one stuck because it accounts for my reality. The system removes decision fatigue on hard days, particularly when I’m already struggling. The last thing I need is to stare at a giant to-do list trying to figure out what I’m capable of. The colours tell me immediately.
It makes every day productive. Even my worst days can be productive days—just with different tasks. That mindset shift alone has been huge for my mental health around work.
The system keeps all my projects moving by ensuring that nothing sits neglected for months because I was too focused elsewhere. It also prevents the “wasted good day” problem. Before, I’d spend a rare high-energy day doing admin because it was at the top of my list. Now I save good energy days for high focus tasks.
Finally, and probably most surprisingly, the system gives me permission to rest. If I look at it and can’t bring myself to do even the lowest of energy tasks, I know that’s the day that I need to all it. As a recovering perfectionist, people pleaser, and someone who prides myself on my work ethic, learning to live within my constraints can bring a hunk of guilt. When I look at the board and nope out, I no longer feel guilty. I know that’s my way of ensuring I don’t end up in a worse place. The system is built to ensure it doesn’t demand more than I can give.
Tips for Implementation
- Be Honest: Don’t put editing in “low energy” just because you want it to be easy. Lying to yourself defeats the purpose.
- Keep it Simple: Use short task prompts rather than long project proposals.
- Build-in Buffers: Don’t schedule high-energy tasks for treatment days or the day after. Account for these days when you set your deadlines.
- Celebrate Small Wins: Low-energy tasks are essential work, not “lesser” work.
The Bottom Line
If traditional productivity systems don’t fit a life that refuses to follow a schedule, try flipping the script. Organise by energy, work with your body instead of against it, and remember, rest is essential. Don’t be afraid to call it a day and do nothing at all.
