What can help on a day with very little energy
You wake up and you already know. There is very little energy, and the day still has things in it.
On a day with very little energy, guidance pages describe sorting what has to happen from what can wait, making what stays small, and resting in between [1][2][4]. This article gathers these ideas from guidance pages and from autistic adults' own words. It also has sentences you can say to the people around you.
What can help when you have very little energy?
Several guidance pages, written for different groups of people, give the same few ideas. Here they are in plain words.
Smaller tasks. The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) describes splitting an activity into smaller tasks spread across the day. It also describes changing how parts of a task are done so that it asks for less, pausing and resting between activities, and sitting and resting where possible [1].
Things within reach. RCOT describes keeping what you need together and within reach, and looking for equipment that takes less effort [1]. It also describes spreading activities out instead of putting them close together [1].
Fewer decisions. A page from the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) describes making tasks easier by cutting down on decisions, and planning the day around energy rather than the clock [4]. The same page describes putting demanding work in the hours when energy is higher. On low-energy days, it describes sticking to the essentials [4].
Something that gives energy back. RCOT describes choosing activities that leave a person feeling energised [1]. The National Autistic Society (NAS) names hobbies and interests as one option [2].
Not every idea fits every person or every day. You can take only what suits you and leave the rest.
How can you sort what has to happen from what can wait?
You can start with the essentials. RCOT describes not trying to do everything, balancing what needs doing with what is wanted, and handing over or dropping tasks where possible [1].
Three questions can make the sorting easier. You can use all of them, one of them, or none:
"What has to happen today?"
"What could someone else do?"
"What can wait?"
A short list of tiny tasks, written ahead for days like this, means there is nothing to decide when energy is low. And when even sorting is too much, one sentence from the list below is enough, or one small step, such as drinking some water or sitting down.
What are an energy account and spoon theory?
An energy account is a way of picturing energy as a bank account. Some things are withdrawals and some are deposits.
A handout quoting Toudal and Attwood's 2024 book lists withdrawals such as a change in routine, crowds and sensory sensitivity. Deposits include time alone, a special interest, music, time with animals or nature, and reading [3].
The NAS page for autistic adults describes a similar idea. You set a limit on your energy for a day or a week, estimate which activities use it up and which give it back, and plan time to balance them [2].
Spoon theory is another way people describe this. Each spoon stands for a unit of energy, and tasks use the spoons up [4].
What can you ask for from the people around you?
NAS describes talking with people nearby when expectations feel unrealistic. At work, it describes keeping track of your workload and telling a manager if it is becoming unmanageable [2]. It also describes making time in the day to stim, which means repeated movements or sounds that some autistic people use [2].
Having someone nearby can matter too. In six focus groups with 32 autistic adults, people said that having another person working in the same space, without interacting, was often helpful when it was hard to act [6].
What do autistic adults say about energy and getting started?
In interviews with 24 autistic adults in Australia, people described switching from one activity to another as costing energy. One said it would leave them exhausted. Smaller steps, prompts from people or technology, and self-compassion were among the things they said helped [5].
In the focus groups, people often described a tiredness that made it harder to act. Several said they needed long stretches to recover [6].
For ADHD, a 2017 study compared 243 adults with ADHD from outpatient services and 211 adults without. The adults with ADHD reported more fatigue, and 62% met the study's cut-off for fatigue [7].
What can you say on a low-energy day?
At home, when people are expecting the usual:
"I have very little energy today, so I'm only doing what has to happen."
When someone asks for something that is not urgent:
"Can this wait until tomorrow?"
When a shared task is waiting:
"I can do one part of this today and the rest later."
When a task can be handed over:
"Could you do this one for me today?"
When a plan with someone needs to move:
"I can't make it today. Can we find another day?"
When someone nearby could keep you company during a task [6]:
"Could you stay in the room while I do this? You don't need to say anything."
When can it help to talk with a doctor?
An NHS page on tiredness says to see a GP when you have felt tired for a few weeks and are not sure why, when it affects daily life, or when it comes with other symptoms such as weight loss or mood changes [8]. The ideas above are about getting through a day, and they do not look at why the energy is low.
About this article
- The ideas come from guidance pages (RCOT, NAS, ADDA, NHS), a handout from an energy accounting book, interviews and focus groups with autistic adults, and one study with adults with ADHD. The sentences and the three sorting questions are Mindum's own wording, and you can change any of them to sound like you. The idea of a short list of tiny tasks is Mindum's too.
- The studies were with adults. The autistic adult studies were small interview and focus group studies of what people say about their own experience.
- The ideas do not look at causes of tiredness. For tiredness that lasts or comes with other changes, a doctor can look at it.
Sources
- Royal College of Occupational Therapists. Lift Up Your Everyday: Managing energy. rcot.co.uk/energy
- National Autistic Society. Autistic fatigue: a guide for autistic adults. Last reviewed 20 August 2020. autism.org.uk
- Toudal M, Attwood T. Energy Accounting: Stress Management and Mental Health Monitoring for Autism and Related Conditions. Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2024. Handout quoting the book: Energy Accounting handout (PDF)
- Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA). Spoon theory. Posted 28 April 2026. add.org/spoon-theory
- Rapaport H, Clapham H, Adams J, Lawson W, Porayska-Pomsta K, Pellicano E. "I live in extremes": A qualitative investigation of Autistic adults' experiences of inertial rest and motion. Autism. 2024;28(5):1305-1315. doi:10.1177/13623613231198916
- Buckle KL, Leadbitter K, Poliakoff E, Gowen E. "No Way Out Except From External Intervention": First-Hand Accounts of Autistic Inertia. Frontiers in Psychology. 2021;12:631596. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631596
- Rogers DC, Dittner AJ, Rimes KA, Chalder T. Fatigue in an adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder population: A trans-diagnostic approach. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. 2017;56(1):33-52. doi:10.1111/bjc.12119
- NHS. Tiredness and fatigue. Last reviewed 2 June 2023. nhs.uk
By Mindum. An app to track and regulate emotions, energy, and focus.
