What is the Wheel of Life?
About 4 times a year, I review my life, though I have let it slip recently and have not done it since the New Year. I also look at my life if I am feeling a bit out of sorts, which I have been recently, as I can feel that my life is a bit out of balance. It helps me identify in which area. I think reflection is key to improving your life and being happy. It is so easy when you are busy, to stop putting your energy into some aspects of your life, but you don’t always notice or realise. I use a coaching tool called the ‘Wheel of Life’ to help me reflect. I have attached a photo at the top of the post. This tool helps you look at different areas of your life and rate them as to how satisfied you are with them. The areas of your life don’t have to be the ones named in the picture, as you can adapt them to your situation and what is important to you. I am retired and so would not be interested in having ‘career’ on mine or ‘romance’, but I have things like ‘personal growth’ or ‘sense of purpose’ . In the past I have had sustainability and spirituality, whilst other people might have religion. You can also have as many different sections as you want. I know some one who gives themselves 32, but I tend to divide my life into 8 or 10 areas.
How do you use the Wheel of Life?
You can easily find templates and download them on line eg at www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com. (I am hoping that my daughter will teach me how to make some in the next month so that I can put some on here for free), but I tend to draw mine on a bit of paper. I understand that there are Wheel of Life apps, but I am not really into technology. I put a zer0 in the middle of the circle, and number it from 1 to 10. I then give each area of my life a satisfaction rating between 0 to 10, and grade how happy I am with that particular area. The idea is, that if you have a balanced life. the areas of your life will be nearly the same score so that if you join all your satisfaction scores together they will form a circle or wheel. This doesn’t always happen, though, and so don’t worry if your scores are all very different. You now have a visual picture of how your life is, rather than how you would like it to be. You can see which areas you are doing well in, and which areas need improvement.
Once I have my scores I usually chose to work on the two areas that are the lowest score, and plan actions to improve them. After my break down in 2008, I didn’t know what I wanted in life or where to start to change my life. Most of my scores were between two and three. Last year they were all above 8, but a few have dropped this year. When I look at the two areas that I want to improve I try to think about what I am not happy with, and the changes that I would like to make. I imagine how I would like my life to be. I then make an action plan to make those improvements. I also always try to think of one action that will improve my score by one in each other area.
My example of my Wheel of Life this time
I keep all my past wheels of life so that I can compare them. That way I can appreciate how much I have grown and improved, or it will give me a kick up the behind to make changes as I see myself slipping. Comparing my Wheel of Life to my Last one (which had a score of all 8s or above) shows that I need to put some serious effort in to get my life back on track and balanced. If I rode on that wheel it would be very bumpy.
As you can see my Wheel of Life is not balanced and some of my scores have dropped significantly. I was aware of the friends and socialising section as I have not been as tolerant this year and my values have changed, and probably the health section if I let myself admit it, but not aware of the drop in the home and the fun and leisure. They came as a surprise. I can identify in some areas why the scores have dropped, eg my mental health has been worse due to grieving, and my fitness has reduced due to the rainy weather, but in other areas I will have to have a good think about it. I guess the home one is because I know that there are jobs to be done that are delayed with the weather, and I know I need to move soon as my house has lots of steps and both our legs are not as young as they used to be.
Now I have identified the areas, I will then write myself an action plan to improve these areas, and get them closer to how I want them to be. To do this I often brain storm on a piece of paper everything that I can think of that will help, and then pick a few actions to take. When I write my action plan it is important that I make my intentions SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound). Therefore, instead of saying things like I will join a club this year to meet more people, I will be more specific and put a date by which I will do it by, and say, for example, that I will contact Meetup and a local walking group during August. This means that I can see by the end of August if I have achieved my goal or intention, and yet it gives me a realistic time to do it in. If I set myself an intention to lose a stone next week or make 6 friends in August, it wouldn’t be realistic.
Why not give it a go, and see how balanced your life is, and which areas need to work on to get them loser to the life that you would like to have.
Brilliant advice and tool to use
Thanks for sharing
No worries x
Thank you so much for sharing this invaluable demonstration of the Wheel of Life, I could of guaranteed up until last year both Mr J and my scores would of been very low, since he’s dropped a couple of says (he works shifts and much longer hours than I do) and I’ve dropped one day, life is getting better, not perfect, but better!
Life would be boring if it was perfect and we would have nothing to strive for. I am glad that life is improving for you both and that you are managing to have less time working x
Thank you for sharing this Toni, I’m going to draw my own later today. Really helpful.
No worries. x
Thanks for this I’m going to start with brainstorm to identify my areas .
Good look x
Thank you Toni. This is a very useful tool.
You’re welcome x
Hi Toni, I wasn’t familiar with the Wheel of Life, but seeing how you’ve explained it so easily, it certainly is something I need to do for myself because since I’m still on long term sick, have recently just been refused I’ll health retirement even though the business says I am unfit for any role at the mo, so I’m now looking at appealing. Hubby thinks they don’t want to pay an enhanced pension 7 years early. Maybe, but nevertheless, I don’t feel I can get myself in gear at present because this stuff is causing me stress, mindless nibbling, lack of sleep etc, so definitely a candidate for your Wheel.
Thanks so much for posting about this. It’s really interesting. Thank you for all you do in sharing how we need to stop and smell the roses. X
I was refused ill health retirement as well (after my breakdown) and they just tried to push me out by saying I was unfit for any management roles and roles working in my field. This tool and others helped me get back into gear to fight. I didn’t get the enhanced pension but they found me another role, and could not reduce my pay as they could not prove that I could not do my job as their own occupational health agreed that I was well enough to do it. I used Mind website a lot to get information on the law and told them that I had a solicitor. I bluffed them into finding me another role. I also collected a lot of evidence of ways that they had not supported me as they had a duty of care. Good luck. x
I recall that you’ve referenced the reason for leaving work and it would appear it wasn’t easy for you either. My Line Manger is really supportive, has known me a long time and whilst he would bite my hand off to have me back, he knows I physically can’t do it any more. I already have reasonable adjustments in place and there is nothing more the business can do BUT, the last OHS, after writing to my GP feels that I may be able to come back, sometime in the future. I’ve had my condition 17 years. I’d love to know when I’ll be able to go back because that would mean I’m in a far better place health wise than I am now. My GP can’t believe the decision made and is helping me with another report to assist appeal. I’m putting together my bits and bobs to form the appeal. Not wishing to sound negative but I don’t think this is going to be an easy next step but onward and upward I go. Thanks for your reply x
Never seen this or thought to do it, but I can see the value! You are so thoughtful, aware and intentional about your life! I would like to be more this way. I’m going to give this a try! Thanks for posting.
No worries. It does really help me keep in touch and was was a good kick up the backside when I did it initially in 2009. I hadn’t realised how dissatisfied I was with my life in certain areas x
Thank you Toni, going to look up some of the apps and online versions to get a deeper understanding. I haven’t come across mapping this way
No worries. It is just a really quick way to do a quick appraisal of your life and find the areas that you are not happy with
[…] Please also practice some self care, and do what ever helps you. It might be crafting, going to the gym, seeing friends, a pamper day, a day curled up with a book. For me it is walking in nature, dancing and singing in my kitchen to my power tunes, watching a ‘feel good’ film, or activities like the wheel of life. […]
Thanks for posting this Toni I have heard of this on a course I did years and years ago when I worked in special needs we had to do one on ourselves and try to put our clients on a wheel of where they might be! Anyways I think I’ll do one of these for myself and my OH. I’ve definitely improved in some areas this year but sadly my family will be low scoring and probably won’t change not my doing. I changed my mindset to deal with it now so if it’s a low score I won’t get upset about it like I used to. Very interesting though taking a good look at your Life perhaps more need to do this in this pressured world we live it surrounding us. Like you my happy place is being in nature, I just wish my OH would feel the excitement I do when I take him to nice places he just hasn’t got it in him to enjoy it so this can be a negative in my Life. I’m so glad I started the walking group with my friend earlier this year and we both love being in nature, her OH doesn’t feel it either like my OH! So we have both made improvements in our lives starting this group up to help other folk feeling lonely and to help their mental health and being in tune with the beautiful nature surrounding us all. This brings me the best joy. X
I don’t think that I would have realised how much I needed to change my life if I had not done one of these with a life coach. You have achieved a lot this year. Well done.