Spoon Theory

Spoon theory is a simple way to explain how much a person can do in a day. Each spoon stands for the effort that one task needs, and a person may start the day with only a few. Every interaction and every step of self-care may cost a spoon. Someone spends spoons planning a task and then spends another one by doing it. When the spoons run out, a person may still have the skill but lack the effort to visualize the steps or the capacity to implement them.

Spoons are for anyone who is neurodivergent, chronically ill, disabled, in chronic pain, living with a mental health condition, or burned out. They are also for the partners, parents, friends, and coworkers who watch someone cancel plans or stop answering texts and want to understand what is happening.

Rise Plus Spoons started with the years I spent running out of spoons. After losing my lower leg, with ADHD already making daily living tasks exhausting, I needed words for wanting to do something and being unable to do it. A friend who was trained to work with people on the spectrum taught me the language of spoons, and it helped me audit my own situation.
The free spoon flyer below puts all of this on one printable page, along with ways to help, made to hand to someone who needs to understand. On the Spoon Wall, visitors can ask questions and share pictures of spoons they love. At least twice a month, I host a free Spoon Zoom for anyone who wants to replenish their spoons, and Rise Plus offers recordings and deeper sessions for anyone who wants more.