Productivity Habits I Learned From Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Exhaustion gave me my career by forcing me into the habits that I used to start a business
It’s hard enough keeping your life on track when you’re energized, but when you’re exhausted? It seems impossible. Despite feeling like that all the time, however, I managed to start a business and heal from chronic fatigue.
I did it by learning how to be absolutely efficient and completely accepting of my limitations. With limited brainpower, I needed to have resolve, but also to figure out how to become consistent. I did this by first accepting the long game, and then focusing on immediate daily actions.
Here’s the thing: these very limitations became the key to my success. Being forced to focus on efficiency taught me the best work habits I’ve ever known.
This is how exhaustion gave me my career.
I came down with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in 2017. As the name of the condition implies, I had very little energy.
I want you to imagine a time when you pushed through a big project. A time when your sleep suffered, and by the end, you were forgetting your own birth date from exhaustion.
Now imagine that, except you feel that way all the time.
CFS took away my ability to work a normal job, and combined with heart palpitations and anxiety, kept me inside for months at a time.
But from day one, I was determined to heal. With no income and little support, I knew this would mean having to start a business. I needed a way to make money even at the worst of my fatigue. Despite massive brain fog and constant exhaustion, I did just that. Now my health is much better, and I work as a freelance writer full time (earning more than I ever did as an employee.)
I fundamentally learned how to work with very low mental faculties. I figured out how to be productive in the long run despite constant exhaustion. You probably don’t have CFS, but burnout is far from uncommon, especially when you have projects beyond your day job.