Do you find yourself burning out from daily chores and errands, with little energy left for the things you actually enjoy, like catching up with friends and family, playing sport, pursuing hobbies or going on weekend adventures?
When you live with arthritis, everyday tasks can take more physical and mental energy than they appear to. The aim isn’t to do everything the “usual” way. It’s to find ways of doing things that use less energy, reduce physical strain and leave you with more capacity for the parts of life that matter to you.
We’ve gathered some ideas that may help you put new systems in place to reduce the physical and mental burden of everyday life, so you can free up some of your energy for enjoying life. 
Understanding Your Energy: Spoon Theory
You may have heard of Spoon Theory, a way of describing the limited and fluctuating energy people with chronic health conditions may have available each day.
Imagine that you start each day with a certain number of “spoons” which represent units of energy you have each day. All activities use up some of those spoons – work, socialising, chores. On some days, you may simply have fewer spoons available than others due to pain or fatigue. The idea is that you have to allocate your spoons between all your activities for the day and prioritise what you use your energy towards.
Thinking about your energy this way can help you recognise that energy is finite. Finding ways to reduce the effort involved in everyday tasks can help you save energy for the things you enjoy.
The goal isn’t to squeeze more tasks into your day. It’s to reduce the energy required for the things you need to do, so you have more left for the things you want to do.
Services That Can Make Life Easier
Sometimes the simplest way to reduce the physical and mental load of a task is to change how you do it or get someone else to do part of it.
Medication and pharmacy delivery
Depending on what’s available in your area, consider:
- Having prescriptions, repeat medications and pharmacy essentials delivered to your door.
- Using automatic reminders or repeat prescription services.
- Asking your pharmacist about medication packing services, such as dose administration aids, where appropriate.
Can help with: fatigue, mobility limitations, remembering medications, saving time and reducing the need to leave the house.
Ready-made meal delivery
On low-energy days, cooking can feel like a project in itself. Consider:
- Heat-and-eat meals delivered weekly.
- Keeping frozen meals on hand for low-energy days.
- Meal kits with ingredients portioned and prepared.
- Pre-cut vegetables and other prepared ingredients.
Can help with: cooking fatigue, pain, hand and joint strain, limited standing tolerance and decision fatigue.
Click-and-collect or grocery delivery
If grocery shopping leaves you exhausted, changing how you shop can reduce the physical load.
- Use click-and-collect services where available.
- Consider home delivery if carrying groceries or getting to and from the shops is difficult.
- Schedule deliveries for heavy or frequently used items.
Coles and Woolworths offer click-and-collect and home delivery options, with fees and minimum order requirements varying by service and location.
Can help with: carrying, transport, shopping trips and reducing the risk of unexpectedly running out of essentials.
Laundry pickup and delivery
Laundry can involve a surprising amount of lifting, bending, carrying, standing and repetitive movement. Options may include:
- Laundry pickup and delivery, where someone collects your dirty washing and returns it clean and folded.
- Wash-and-fold services for bedding, towels and everyday clothes.
- Linen hire or laundry services during particularly difficult periods.
Can help with: lifting, bending, standing, folding, carrying laundry baskets and managing multiple steps.
Regular home cleaning
Rather than waiting until cleaning becomes overwhelming, consider building support into your routine:
- Schedule regular cleaning rather than booking only when things become unmanageable.
- Consider an occasional or quarterly deep clean to reduce the need for physically demanding cleaning.
- Arrange a one-off clean or “reset” after illness, a flare-up or a hospital stay.
Can help with: pain, fatigue, reduced reach, balance and limited energy for household tasks.
Small systems that make daily life easier
You don’t always need to spend money or use a service to make everyday tasks easier. Small changes to your routines and environment can reduce the number of steps, movements and decisions required.
Set up automated reminders
Use calendar reminders, low-stock alerts and recurring checklists for things such as:
- Bills
- Medication
- Appointments
- Household supplies
- Regular household tasks
The aim is to make your systems remember things for you, rather than relying on your brain to keep track of everything.
Set up your home or space to reduce energy
- When pain or fatigue is severe, repeated standing, walking, reaching and getting up can quickly add up.
- Look for ways to reduce unnecessary movement. For example, keep frequently used items within easy reach or have duplicates of things you use regularly, such as phone chargers, tissues, lip balm or glasses.
Create a “reset basket”
- Instead of walking around the house putting every misplaced item away immediately, keep a lightweight basket where you can place things that need returning to another room.
- You can put things away when you have the capacity, rather than turning tidying into a series of extra trips around the house.
Move everyday items into easy-reach storage
- Open baskets, hooks and shelves can make frequently used items easier to access.
- Where practical, keep everyday items between waist and shoulder height. Avoid storing heavy items on high shelves or at floor level, where they may require awkward reaching, bending or lifting.
Having a seated option for demanding task
You don’t have to stand just because a task traditionally involves standing. Consider having somewhere suitable to sit while:
- Preparing food
- Getting dressed
- Folding laundry
- Completing personal care
- Doing other household tasks
Sitting down can reduce the energy required for a task and give your body a chance to rest without having to stop completely.
Maintain a flare-up food reserve
Keeping a small supply of foods that require little or no preparation can make difficult days more manageable. You could include:
- Frozen ready meals
- Tinned soup, beans and lentils with easy-open lids
- Microwave rice and pre-cooked grains
- Crackers, cereal, long-life milk and easy snacks
- Frozen vegetables and other prepared ingredients
If possible, replenish your reserve when you’re feeling better rather than waiting until you’re already in the middle of a flare-up.
Consider assistive devices
- Simple assistive devices can make everyday tasks easier by reducing the amount of gripping, reaching, bending, lifting or force required. There are many options available for different tasks around the home, from opening jars and bottles to getting dressed and preparing food.
- Learn more by reading our previous article: Kitchen Aids: Making Meals Easier When Living with Arthritis
Cost of Arthritis
It’s also important to recognise that not everyone can afford to pay for delivery services, cleaners, meal preparation or extra support, especially when living with arthritis can come with additional expenses and financial pressures.
Making life more manageable shouldn’t depend on having money to spend. Many strategies can be completely free or low-cost, such as:
- Creating a low-energy meal plan.
- Setting up phone reminders.
- Reorganising frequently used items so they’re easier to reach.
- Keeping a small reserve of essential supplies when possible.
- Breaking larger tasks into smaller steps.
- Planning demanding activities around the times of day when you have the most energy.
- Asking friends or family for practical help when it’s available.
Even small changes that reduce physical effort, decision fatigue and the number of steps involved in daily tasks can make a meaningful difference. The goal is to find practical solutions that work within your circumstances, energy levels and budget, without adding financial stress.
Maintaining Independence
There can also be an element of shame around needing help, especially when you’re used to being independent and feel like you should be able to do everything yourself. You might keep pushing through pain, exhaustion or a flare-up because asking for help feels like admitting defeat, being a burden, or not trying hard enough.
But needing support doesn’t mean you’re incapable or lazy. Arthritis can make ordinary tasks require significantly more physical and mental energy, and pushing through everything often comes at the cost of your health, recovery and quality of life. You shouldn’t have to reach breaking point before you’re allowed to make things easier for yourself.
Using a delivery service, adapting your home, accepting help or finding a workaround isn’t giving up on doing things yourself; it’s recognising your needs and working with your capacity rather than constantly fighting against it. You deserve to have energy left for living your life, not just surviving the logistics of it.
Where To Start
You don’t need to implement everything at once. Start with one thing that would make tomorrow easier. The most useful next step is to identify the task that causes the biggest knock-on effect: for example, if grocery shopping exhausts you, cooking and cleaning may become harder too. Solving that one bottleneck can make several other parts of life easier at once.
Ask yourself:
- What task takes the most energy?
- What part of that task is most difficult?
- Can I remove a step, change how I do it, or do it while sitting?
- Is there a service that could help?
- Could someone else help with part of it?
- Is there a free or low-cost workaround?
Even one small change can give you back a little energy, and that energy can be spent on something that matters to you.
Written by Emily Guenther, October 2026
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
