There is currently much talk about how the balance between work and personal life is essential for experiencing higher levels of health, well-being, and overall life satisfaction. We are supposed to have a balanced routine that includes various aspects such as time for family, friends, our relationship, exercise, rest, leisure, self-care, etc.
This doesn’t always happen, and with the routine, work, various responsibilities, and the natural unpredictability of life, it’s normal for our priorities to change, and we may not always find time and space to dedicate to things that make us feel good. Over time, this can lead to an imbalance in our well-being.
This is where the Wheel of Life comes in, or as I like to call it, the Life Pizza.
What is it and what does it do
Applied to Coaching by Paul J. Meyer in the 1960s, but originating from the Bhavacakra in Buddhism (wheel = cakra, life = bhava), the Wheel of Life is the visual representation of various life areas with the goal of optimizing them, defining goals and action plans to achieve them. It’s a widely used tool in the fields of Psychology and Coaching to help individuals have a “helicopter view” of their lives, zooming out and gaining a holistic perspective on the balance of various life areas.
It can be very useful and have benefits on various levels, such as:
- Promotion of self-awareness and self-esteem
- Personal growth/development
- Stress management by identifying areas of imbalance
- Motivation and energy (excellent support in goal setting and action plan formulation)
- Support in habit change
How to use it
The Wheel of Life can be used in two ways:
- To assess the current state of various areas of our lives (Current Pizza);
- In addition to the Current Pizza, later we can reflect on our Ideal or Desired Pizza, i.e., how we would like our Current Pizza to be. This comparison between current and desired levels forms the basis for setting goals and actions to get there.
So, how do you make the Wheel of Life?
Start by defining the areas of life that are relevant to you. These will be the slices of your wheel, and the general themes you’ll reflect on. Here are some suggestions for life areas and reflection questions:
Work/career
. How satisfied are you with your work? Does it bring you a sense of accomplishment?
. Do you do what you love, or would you prefer to have a different career?
. How much time does work take up in your routine?
Finances
. Is your income enough to cover your basic needs and other expenses?
. Do you have debts or loans? If you do, are you managing them well, or has it been a significant effort?
. Do you have savings/long-term savings goals?
Health
. How is your physical and mental health?
. How do you feel most of the time? Have you been having difficulty dealing with anything?
. How are you in terms of sleep, diet, and physical activity?
. How much time do you spend taking care of your health?
Social relationships
. Do you have supportive friends and family? Who are they?
. What is the quality of your close relationships like? Do you feel energized or drained after spending time with these people?
. How much time in your routine do you dedicate to these individuals?
Romantic relationship
. Are you happy in your romantic relationship?
. How do you feel in this relationship?
. How do you handle challenges? How do you celebrate good moments?
Leisure
. Are you having fun?
. How do you spend your free time? Do you engage in something emotionally or physically enriching?
Personal growth
. Have you invested in yourself lately?
. Have you dedicated time to learn/develop skills or acquire knowledge?
Connection with the present moment
. How much time do you spend in the here and now?
. Do you feel connected to yourself and to what surrounds you?
. Have you been practicing gratitude?
These reflections will then be converted into numbers for the construction of the Wheel of Life. Considering time spent, attention given, and satisfaction level, rate each area from 0 to 10 for the CURRENT MOMENT (not how you wish it to be), where 0 equals ‘has not been a priority at all’ and 10 equals ‘has been a significant priority.’
For the second part of the exercise, the Ideal or Desired Pizza, follow the same process but think about how you WOULD LIKE each area to be in the FUTURE, ideally in the short to medium term (6 to 12 months).
Analyze the two Pizzas, compare the scores assigned to each slice (in the Current and in the Ideal), and those with the greatest difference are likely the life areas that need the most prioritization (this mathematical operation is not mandatory; you can simply analyze qualitatively and visually, whatever works best for you!)
Finally, define goals for each area to improve and the actions to take to achieve them.
Pro tip: setting realistic and time-bound goals can be a great start to succeed in the goals you implement!
Conclusion
In summary, to make the Wheel of Life, you need to:
1 — Define relevant life areas for you at this moment
2 — Reflect on each using the power of introspection
3 — Rate them from 0 to 10 according to your satisfaction level
4 — Identify those needing more attention now (those with lower scores)
5 — Define goals and steps to achieve them
6 — Reevaluate and check progress!
You can create and save your Wheel of Life online here.
Remember that the Wheel of Life is a tool to support change, but it doesn’t constitute the change itself. It can be the initial step to help you identify the path to a more balanced and healthy routine, but the “heavy” work begins afterward! A psychologist can assist you on this journey.