Thanks for helping me test the Chronic Life Observation Toolkit!

This is a small, rolling beta test of the first public Starr Institute of (Highly) Suspicious Physiology (SIPS) Field Kit. The goal right now is not to prove that everything works perfectly, but how it actually works in real life.

That means all of this counts as useful feedback:

• You use the whole thing.
• You only use part of it.
• You skip something.
• You forget about it for four days and then come back.
• You immediately change the way something works because your version makes more sense.

Please don’t worry about being a “good” beta tester. As a disabled, chronically ill, and ND freelancer, I'm certainly not! And that's kind of the point, really.

Use it when it helps, skip it when it doesn’t. Missing days are still data, you don't need to complete every field. Remember: This is an observation method, not a diagnostic tool.

The toolkit will grow as my research does, so feel free to check back in every few months for few features to try! I welcome repeat feedback.

Start here

1. Take a look at the Field Guide

The Field Guide explains what the toolkit is, how it works, and some of the thinking behind it.

You do not have to read the entire guide before starting.

Skim it. Refer back to it. Ignore half of it and discover later that you needed it.

2. Try the Field Kit

The Field Kit is designed to help you observe patterns in chronic life without immediately turning those observations into another optimization project.

There is no required schedule for this beta. Try it once. Use it for several days. Come back to it later. Change things if you need to.

The important thing is noticing what happens when the toolkit meets your actual life.

📓 Observation Dashboard — Google Sheet

Your working log for recording observations and looking for patterns over time.

Instructions

• Make a copy
• Log your responses in the Observation Log using the drop-down tabs (or make your own!)
• Track health and behavior patterns on the Dashboard

Alternative method: Observation Google Form

Instructions:

• Make a copy of the Form and publish after tweaking to your preferences
• Copy and paste the responder link (and bookmark it!)
• Use the responder link to fill out your form
• Submit form and observe response patterns (in the Responses tab)

📄Weekly Reflection Companion — PDF

A guided weekly downloadable fillable check-in for looking back without grading yourself or reconstructing every detail.

Download the Reflection Companion:

Also available as a Google Doc.

A note about the beta

This is an evolving prototype.

Some parts may change while you’re testing it. There may be technical limitations, awkward instructions, things that make perfect sense to me and absolutely no sense to anyone else.

That is why you’re here.

You are not testing whether you can follow instructions correctly.

You are helping me test whether the instructions and tools deserve to exist in their current form.

Tell me what happens

You can use the feedback form below at any point. You do not need to finish the Field Kit first.

If something breaks, submit feedback. If you like something, submit feedback.If you disappear for two weeks and suddenly remember why you stopped using it, submit feedback whenever you remember.

One last thing

This project is being built iteratively, which means your feedback may directly influence future versions of the Field Kit.

If you share something that I think would make a useful public review or testimonial, I may ask you separately whether I can quote it.

Nothing you submit here will automatically be treated as permission to publish your name, photo, or comments.

And genuinely:

Thank you for being willing to poke at this while it’s still messy.

That’s how it gets better.

Need help?

If something isn’t working, a link is broken, or you’re not sure where to begin, contact, just email me directly at leannaleewriter@gmail.com.