Wheel of Life (CD14)

MindTools, Ltd. (2006-2015) has created a Wheel of Life activity to help you consider important areas of life and what's off-balance. As such, it helps you identify areas that need more attention.

The figure below shows you an example of someone's Wheel of Life with sample "dimensions."  You'll be completing your own Wheel of Life using dimensions that are important to you.  

Step 1: Print the Wheel of Life Template Download Wheel of Life Template

Step 2: Brainstorm 8 dimensions of your life that are important to you and write them on the blank lines along the outermost circle (one on each spoke of the life wheel).

• You may choose to use the roles you play in life such as student, father/mother, friend, colleague, community leader, sports player, etc.
• Or, you may choose to identify areas of life that are important to you such as education, career, family, friends, partner/spouse, physical, spiritual, hobbies, public service, etc.  
• Or, you may choose your own combination of these or different things.

Step 3: Assess the amount of attention you're currently devoting to each area. Consider each dimension in turn, and on a scale of 0 (low) to 10 (high) make a mark on each spoke that designates the amount of attention you're devoting to that area of your life at this moment in time. For example, in the figure below, you can see that this person marked the dimension "Team Member" extremely low (approximately a 4), the dimension "Mother/Father" as a 5, and the dimension "Sports Player" high (a score of 10).  

Step 4: Now join up the marks around the circle (as seen in the example below). Does your life wheel look and feel balanced?

Step 5: Think about your ideal level for life balance. A balanced life does not mean getting a 5 in each life area: some areas need more attention and focus than others at any time. And inevitably you will need to make choices and compromises, as your time and energy are not in unlimited supply!  So the question is, what would the ideal level of attention be for you in each life area? Plot the "ideal" scores around your life wheel too. (You may want to use a different color ink).

Step 6: Now that you have a visual representation of your current life balance and your ideal life balance, where are the gaps? These are the areas of life that need attention. And remember that gaps can go both ways. There are almost certainly areas that are not getting as much attention as you'd like. However, there may be areas where you're putting in more effort than you'd ideally like. These areas are sapping energy and enthusiasm that may better be directed elsewhere. 

Step 7: Write a 5-10 sentence reflection on the following questions below and upload it to CANVAS. Note: You do not have to upload your Wheel of Life, just the reflection.

• What are 2-3 goals you can set for yourself between now and the end of the semester that will help you achieve greater school-work-life balance?
• What things do you need to start doing to work towards achieving those goals?
• What things do you need to stop doing, reprioritize, or delegate?
• What barriers do you anticipate? 
• Who can help you achieve these goals? How?