I use time blocking for symptom tracking and intentional joy

Among the various time-management strategies is one where a person breaks up their day into 30-minute blocks and assigns tasks or activities for each block of the 24 hours. Some bullet journalists consider time blocking to be one of the most effective ways to stay productive. I tend to agree.

I’ve used this time-blocking method to accomplish more and to manage multiple family and work responsibilities. That was before being diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome, and before the limitations these conditions cause began to affect my abilities.

Recommended Reading

February 20, 2025 by Andrea Lobo, PhD

FDA grants ADI-001 fast track status for treatment-resistant SLE

How does it work?

To follow the 30-minute time-blocking method, start planning your day with your normal wake-up routine by assigning a starting and ending time of 30 minutes (ideally). Every task for the day would then be assigned a time block. Tasks can have more than one 30-minute block.

You can block time for:

• Personal tasks, such as cooking and enjoying meals, doing chores, sleeping, date nights, etc.
• Work tasks, such as meetings, calls, reports, writing, and more
• Health tasks, such as infusions, doctor appointments, lab work, and medication dosing times.

The ultimate goal is for every minute of the day to be intentionally visualized and scheduled along with every task or responsibility for that day.

For a while, I had a pretty sustainable rhythm of productivity, especially when my lupus disease activity was low. Then symptom flares increased and intensified, sending me back to the hospital. After a long hospital stay, I decided to use this time-blocking strategy to track my symptoms and link activities with them to find patterns. I also clocked my daily commitments and activities, which were now very limited.

Whenever I had a symptom, I’d circle the time and write down what was occurring. When I couldn’t write because my hands and fingers frequently locked, I’d use a digital calendar. I’d add an event by selecting the starting and ending time, then assign a color to it depending on the symptoms: Red was for chest pain; gray was for swelling; pink was for rashes and burning skin; purple was for locked bones; etc. Then I’d use tally marks to count the number of pills I’d taken throughout the day. I’d also add indications for when fevers started, as well as the temperature.

After a few days, this tracking appeared more erratic, because my symptoms were overlapping and the gaps between relief were shorter. On those days, my to-do activities became fewer and fewer. I observed patterns that made it easy to see correlations. For example, the blocks for work were colored purple and red due to joint pain and my bones locking. These symptom blocks were shorter or didn’t exist at all after hot baths in essential oils. Some patterns didn’t correlate, such as swelling that occurred whether I ate or not. Looking back, the process was more like a science project.

Altogether, time blocking captured information I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to articulate to my medical team.

With everything that’s going on today — from threats to employment to shifts in health insurance coverage and cuts to medical research and health services — I’ve decided to resume time blocking, but not to manage productivity (those days are mostly gone). Rather, I’m doing it to manage my symptoms and corresponding triggers. Time blocking will help to show a pattern of symptoms that are caused by environmental or societal factors. Then, my healthcare team and I can do whatever is necessary to mitigate or prevent a flare.

This time, though, my daily schedule will have deliberately planned 30-minute blocks of joy, colored orange!

How about that? How about scheduling daily joy? How about designating time to pull up all the happiness, honesty, joy, kindness, and love that the day can offer? How about stopping a few times every day when your calendar reminder is orange to look back and find at least one thing worth celebrating?

Note: Lupus News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Lupus News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to lupus.