Designing a Life with Room to Breathe: AI, Accommodation, and Living with a Chronic Condition
There’s a lot of talk about AI replacing people.
But for me, AI didn’t replace anything; it restored something.
I live with a chronic condition. Some days, I can think clearly. Some days, I can’t type more than a few words. My symptoms change moment to moment. Fatigue can hit like a wave. And like many who live with invisible illness, I spent years trying to force myself into systems that weren’t built for me.
The turning point came when I stopped asking,
“How can I keep up?”
and started asking,
“What if my day started with kindness?”
Now, each morning begins not with a checklist, but with a single image. Something beautiful. Intentional. Something I create using Midjourney or Napkin AI, based on how I feel or what I need to remember.
That image becomes the heart of a visual card in Milanote, a gentle map of my day. It includes space for breaks, quick wins, and, most importantly, a “flex time” block from 2:00 to 3:30 PM, when my body tends to crash.
This daily ritual, built with AI tools and self-awareness, helps me stay grounded without being rigid. It’s not a productivity system. It’s a sustainability system. One that allows me to contribute meaningfully, pace myself with grace, and adapt to a body that’s constantly changing.
This is what accommodation looks like.
It’s not about lowering standards. It’s about building scaffolding that respects your reality.
And sometimes, that scaffolding can be made of pixels, image prompts, and a voice-based note when typing feels impossible.
We don’t talk enough about what it means to be brilliant and exhausted. Ambitious and disabled. Creative and compromised. But AI, when used with intention, can offer more than convenience. It can offer dignity.
This blog isn’t just about tech. It’s about how we make our lives livable.
And this is mine.
About Dan
Dan Noyes operates at the critical intersection of healthcare AI strategy and patient advocacy. His perspective is uniquely shaped by over 25 years as a strategy executive and his personal journey as a chronic care patient.
As a Healthcare AI Strategy Consultant, he helps organizations navigate the complex challenges of AI adoption, ensuring technology serves clinical needs and enhances patient-centered care. Dan holds extensive AI certifications from Stanford, Wharton, and Google Cloud, grounding his strategic insights in deep technical knowledge.
