Wheel of Life is a self-assessment tool used in personal development. It is a visual representation of the well-being of all aspects of life, such as career, finance, relationships, etc.
The result of the wheel will function as a snapshot of your life, indicating areas of fulfillment and areas that need improvement.
The main goal of the Wheel of Life assessment is to evaluate your current situation and attain a more balanced lifestyle.
I have briefly touched on this subject in How to Do a Life Audit. However, it needs its time in the spotlight.
I will guide you through the Wheel of Life assessment with examples, interpretations, and a FREE printable.
This post might contain affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you purchase an item through them.
How does the Wheel of Life work?
The Wheel of Life is represented by a circle divided into 8 slices. Each slice is a category of life. During the assessment, you’ll rate each category on a scale of 1-10.
These classes include:
- Career – fulfillment with work
- Physical health – happiness regarding physical health, eating, sleeping habits, etc.
- Financial situation – satisfaction with spending habits, budgets, etc.
- Mental health – mental well-being
- Spirituality – satisfaction with your relationship with God
- Recreational – happiness with leisure time, hobbies, and memories made
- Social/relationships – fulfillment with connections and social life
- Environmental – satisfaction with immediate surroundings
Take a moment to download the printable and rate each category.
The Wheel of Life Assessment Process
Step 1: Self-Reflection
Take a step back and reflect on your current situation honestly. Don’t sugarcoat anything.
Remember, the Wheel of Life is a tool for growth. It is not meant to judge your situation and make you feel guilty. Use it as a step toward a better-balanced and more fulfilled life.
Practice honesty and self-compassion. Otherwise, the Wheel is not worth doing.
Step 2: Prompts and Questions
It could be overwhelming when you evaluate your life from a different perspective. If you don’t know where to start, I have you covered!
Answer these prompts to help you evaluate each area more effectively.
Career
- Am I being challenged enough or too much?
- Are there any opportunities for growth and promotions?
- Is my compensation fair towards the standard of my work?
- How do I feel when I get back from work?
- Do I live for weekends?
- Am I satisfied with my current job?
Physical well-being
- Am I confident in my body?
- How have my eating habits been?
- Am I generally healthy?
- Do I exercise enough or at all?
- How much water do I consume in a day?
- Do I have a healthy sleeping schedule?
- How do I rate my overall health and fitness?
Finances
- Does my income exceed my expenses?
- Am I saving up money?
- Do I have a budget? If so, am I sticking to my budget?
- Am I making progress toward my financial goals?
- Am I satisfied with my current financial situation?
Mental wellness
- Am I struggling mentally? If so, what is causing it?
- Am I more anxious than usual?
- How do I manage my mental health?
- How kind am I to myself?
- Do I prioritize self-care?
- How satisfied am I with my overall mental well-being?
Spirituality
- Do I pray daily?
- How much time do I spend in the Word of God?
- Do I attend church services?
- Has God felt far away currently?
- How do I rate my relationship with God at the moment?
Recreational time
- How do I spend my leisure time?
- Do I have any hobbies?
- Am I making memories?
- How is my work-life balance?
- How do I rate my happiness in my leisure time?
Social/relationships
- Are all my relationships healthy?
- Do I have a support network?
- Are there any conflicts in my life?
- How happy am I with my social life?
Environment
- What does my surroundings look like?
- Are there any changes I would like to make to my immediate surroundings?
- How can I improve my environment?
- Am I satisfied with my work and living environment?
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Step 3: Analyze and evaluate
It’s time to evaluate and interpret your Wheel. Identify the imbalances and the strengths. Celebrate the positive aspects of each category and highlight the areas of improvement by establishing a game plan.
I compiled a few examples of scenarios to help you understand your results:
1. Scenario 1: The Business Woman
- Interpretation: Her Wheel of Life is highly rated in career and finances, while her mental health and recreational scores are low.
- Outcome: It indicates a work-life imbalance where work dominates, leaving little time for self-care and recreational activities.
- Actionable steps: Emphasize self-care, hobbies, and relaxation outside work to restore balance.
2. Scenario 2: The Stay-At-Home Mom
- Interpretation: Her wheel is more skewed toward fulfillment in social, and all framily-oriented categories, leaving lower scores for career and perhaps physical well-being due to a lack of time for personal activities.
- Evaluation: It indicates caregiving duties are prioritized at the expense of everything else.
- Actionable steps: Venture beyond your caregiver duties by exploring your interests, perhaps by hiring a part-time nanny or asking for assistance from family members.
3. Scenario 3: The Varsity Graduate
- Interpretation: Her wheel rates her career high because of the satisfaction of her recent education. But finances, mental health, and relationships are on the lower end of the spectrum.
- Outcome: It indicates a focus on launching a new career, neglecting all the other aspects of life.
- Actionable steps: Prioritize budgeting and include your inner circle for moral support while launching your career.
Step 4: Create a balance
Now that you have a visual representation of your life, you can improve it. Fix all the aspects of your life that are out of balance.
So, how do I fix my Wheel of Life?
- Identify 2-3 segments that are lacking the most.
- Make a list of things you can do to improve those sections and set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound). For example, if mental well-being is lacking, incorporate self-care days once a week.
- Create a reward system for achieving your goals.
- Incorporate flexibility into your plan. Circumstances change and you should take that into account. Do not let it discourage you, rather adapt to it.
Step 5: Re-evaluate
A Wheel of Life assessment isn’t a once-off activity.
Make sure to do the assessment often, especially if you have an incredibly imbalanced life. This way you can monitor your progress and identify lacking categories before they worsen.
I highly recommend the Wheel of Life assessment in your mid-year and annual life audits as an extra tool for evaluation.
Conclusion
The Wheel of Life is a tool for self-awareness and goal-setting. It puts everything into perspective on one piece of paper.
Evaluate your lives, take charge, pursue your dreams, and strive for balance.
Remember to download your FREE printable and join the newsletter to be notified any time I add a freebie to the resource library.
Have a great day wherever you are in the world.
Love, Steph ♥
