Life Audit: Amplify, Fuel and Recover Your the Rest of Your Year!
Tags: Wheel Of Life, Mid Year Review, Life Audit, Planning, Year In Review

Life Audit: Amplify, Fuel and Recover Your the Rest of Your Year! TheProductiveProcrastinator Jul 13·6 min read

Goal setting is a big part of personal growth. However, in order to set effective goals that make a positive difference in our lives, we first need to take a good look at our starting point. Just as you can only get directions to a destination if you know your current location, you can only make effective plans if you understand where you are right now.

Before setting a goal, it could be helpful to do a life audit. As the name suggests, this is where you take stock of your life and figure out which areas of your life need more work. A life audit is also an opportunity to reflect on your priorities and figure out how goal-setting could help you achieve that vision.

There are a few different approaches to life audits, and one is the “Wheel of Life” method. This is a highly effective method of measuring and reflecting on your current life satisfaction, and it’s ideal for those who struggle to achieve balance in their lives.

What is the Wheel of Life?

The Wheel of Life is an effective visual tool that’s often included in coaching worksheets. If you’ve dabbled in personal growth or self-help before, you’ve probably seen a representation of the Wheel of Life in the past.

The concept of the Wheel of Life is attributed to Paul J. Meyer, a pioneer in coaching, personal development, and self-help. He founded the Success Motivation Institute in 1960. Although that was over sixty years ago, Meyer’s legacy and the impact of the Wheel of Life method lives on. Since its creation, the Wheel of Life has been adopted and adjusted by many coaches, institutions, and individuals.

The Wheel of Life is drawn as a circle divided into 8 or 10 equal sections. Each section represents a specific area of your life. I like to use the following areas:

Health & Fitness

Friendship & Community

Relationship & Love

Family

Creativity & Growth

Career

Money & Financial

Well Being

These sections might differ from person to person. You might include sections relating to spirituality, ethics, charity/giving, and more.

Once each section of the circle is labeled, you rate your level of satisfaction with each area, usually on a scale of one to ten. You then map this rating onto the image of a wheel. This will immediately show you how “balanced” your life is (or isn’t). Remember, you’re meant to focus on how satisfied you feel right now, not how satisfied you’ve felt in the past or want to feel in the future.

Although this is a relatively quick exercise, it can be extremely helpful, as you’ll immediately see a visual representation of how you currently feel about your life.

What Does Satisfaction Mean to You?

When using the Wheel of Life method, you might find it helpful to first consider what “satisfaction” looks like to you. As mentioned earlier, you usually rate your satisfaction with each life area on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being totally satisfied. But what does a 10 look like?

A level-10 rating does not mean you’re “perfect” in that area, or that you can’t ever improve.

Let’s look at some examples of level-10 satisfaction for each area.

Health & Fitness: I exercise five times a week, including at least one Pilates session, and I eat a mostly low-carb diet.

Friendship & Community: I spend time with a friend at least once a week — whether via video call or in person — and go to a non-work social event twice a month.

Relationship & Love: I communicate with my partner and regularly spend time with them. I feel satisfied, loved, and cared for.

Family: I spend quality time with my children every afternoon. I call my parents at least every second day.

Creativity & Growth: I practice music regularly. I learn a new piece of music every month.

Career: I have a career that aligns with my passions and values. I only work with clients that are a good fit for me.

Money & Financial: I save and invest 20% of my income per month. I have no debt.

Well Being: I see a therapist on a regular basis. I engage in gratitude journaling every evening.

Of course, a level-10 rating would look different to different people. Ask yourself what it would mean to feel fully satisfied in each area of your life.

Remember that these goals can shift over time. For example, satisfaction in your “Family” section will shift if and when you have kids, or if you move away from home and can’t see your family in person. Your “Health & Fitness” section might change if you suddenly become ill or if your doctor advises you to try a different eating plan. The great thing about the Wheel of Life is that you can revisit and update it as often as you want!

What the Wheel of Life Can Show You

The idea behind the Wheel of Life is that you see which areas of your life need work in order to achieve balance.

You might find the results surprising. If you’re feeling extremely satisfied with one area of your life, you might forget about all the areas that are lacking. Likewise, if you’re feeling unhappy and stressed about another part of your life, you might feel so depleted that you forget about all the fulfilling parts of your life.

If you’re currently feeling “stuck” in your life, or if you feel like you’re not really happy or fulfilled despite your achievements, the Wheel of Life might be able to give you an explanation.

The Wheel of Life is a great visual reminder to prioritize balance by working on the areas of your life that you might neglect. If you’re, say, a career-oriented person, you might constantly focus on improving this area of your life, which might lead you to neglect your health or relationships.

To use another example, you might find that your “Friendship & Community” section is lacking while your “Health & Fitness” section is full. This tells you that you need to prioritize spending time with your friends and community. So, instead of putting your energy into another fitness challenge or setting a higher goal at the gym, you might want to focus on spending time with your loved ones, even if it’s just a temporary change.

Making Plans Based on the Wheel of Life

Now that you’re able to see which areas of your life need work, you can start setting goals accordingly.

For example, you might say:

I gave a low rating to my Career section but a high rating to my Money & Financial section, as I’ve saved and invested responsibly. Could I use some of my savings to start a small side-hustle that aligns with my passions?

I gave a low rating to my Well Being section, as I’ve been neglecting my meditation practice. Will it be possible for me to start meditating for 10 minutes a day?

My Relationship & Love section doesn’t look too good. Could I prioritize quality time with my spouse? Could I make a weekly date night, or plan a weekend getaway?

Nearly every area of my life is fulfilling other than Creativity & Growth, which might be why I feel so stuck. How can I express creativity? How can I prioritize growth? Can I read books about something that excites me, or perhaps learn a new skill?

Don’t be afraid to kill two birds with one stone. If both your Health & Fitness section and your Family section are lacking, could you try to go on long walks with your dad? If your Friendship & Community section and your Creativity & Growth section are lacking, could you join a local hobby group? Or could you do a fun online course with a friend?

Using the Wheel of Life Method with a Coach

You can definitely use the Wheel of Life method on your own. However, it’s a powerful tool to use with a life coach, too.

Many life coaches will customize the Wheel of Life concept so that it can apply to your unique situation. They might, for example, develop a Wheel of Life specifically for couples, or a career-related Wheel of Life that includes multiple sections related to having a fulfilling career.

Your coach might ask you to do a Wheel of Life exercise before you decide which goals to set. From there, they can ask thought-provoking questions to get you thinking about your priorities, dreams, and current satisfaction levels.

Although the Wheel of Life exercise is fairly simple, many people do get stuck. If you’re one of those people, it might be worth consulting with a life coach. Talking it through with an experienced expert can help you take stock of your life more accurately.

A life audit is the first step to creating solid goals and plans that will make a real difference to your personal situation. The Wheel of Life is great for assessing how you currently feel about your life, and it’s a great jumping-off point for brainstorming future goals and ideas.

If you would like to take a free digital life audit, please click the link here!