In today’s busy world, where responsibilities overwhelm us daily, it is common to sometimes notice an imbalance between work and personal life, which can cause feelings of stress or burnout.
To regain balance, we must first evaluate our lives and context to identify areas where a search for balance is necessary. In this context, different techniques emerge that help us reflect and identify areas for improvement.
Among these techniques, the so-called “Wheel of Life” has become very popular. It is a simple but effective exercise that allows individuals to identify imbalances or problem areas in their lives, reflect on their behaviour, and achieve their goals.
Moreover, the Wheel of Life at work specifically helps target professional aspects and foster a more fulfilling work environment. Let’s see what it is all about.
What is the Wheel of Life?
The original idea of the Wheel of Life was proposed by the author Paul J. Meyer around the 1960s to help people carry out self-analysis and establish goals and strategies for action in the different categories of their lives.
This way, the Wheel of Life was consolidated as a self-assessment tool that allows us to visualise, in a graphic way, key areas of our life in order to identify those that may be “unbalanced”. By observing how we are doing in each of these vital areas, we can take steps to regain balance.
Generally, the Wheel of Life exercise assesses 8 categories or areas considered essential for a balanced life: work, money, health, friends and family, relationships, personal development or self-knowledge, leisure, and home. However, depending on the context, the Wheel of Life technique can be adapted, adding or subtracting areas as appropriate.
Benefits of using the Wheel of Life technique
The Wheel of Life is a very useful tool, which allows us to evaluate our life through a graphical representation of the current state of each area, and compare it with what we “would like them to be”. In other words, this strategy allows us to realise the existing gap and invites us to take action.
This way, the Wheel of Life is a strategy that allows us to broaden our perspective and become more critical when evaluating our habits and lifestyles. It is a tool for self-knowledge that allows us to isolate each aspect of our lives and evaluate how these facets relate to each other, affecting our levels of well-being. Among the benefits we can observe from this technique, we find:
| Benefits of using the Wheel of Life technique | |
| 1. | It offers a broader perspective on your life. |
| 2. | It facilitates the identification of areas for improvement. |
| 3. | It helps set clear priorities and goals. |
| 4. | It promotes a mentality of balance and well-being. |
| 5. | It motivates us to make the necessary changes. |
Applying the Wheel of Life at Work
Using the Wheel of Life at work can be very beneficial in assessing and improving various aspects of business life, both at the individual and employee life cycle levels and at the team level. Whether it is to identify areas for improvement in well-being at work or to set new career goals, this tool allows you to widen your vision and make informed decisions.
Applying the wheel of life at work can bring multiple benefits, such as:
- Career self-assessment: The Wheel of Life at work technique enables an assessment of different aspects of team members’ careers, such as career progression, job satisfaction, work relationships, work-life balance, skills development, and organisational contribution.
- Identifying areas for improvement: This technique allows employees to identify which areas they would like to improve or which aspects they feel they could grow professionally. By tackling any problems early on, employees can take care of their mental health.
- Setting clear goals and objectives: Based on the assessment of each area, this analysis allows for establishing clear and specific goals, both at the individual and group level, that will allow the organisation to move forward.
- Developing an action plan: The Wheel of Life technique allows the implementer to design a detailed plan that enables them to move towards their career goals. It includes concrete steps and realistic deadlines to achieve the objectives.
- Continuous monitoring and reassessment: Another benefit of this technique is the ability to review progress, to adjust the action plan as necessary and to reassess the professional situation to confirm that it is on the right track.
- Work-life balance: Finally, one of the most important benefits or advantages of using the Wheel of Life at work technique is assessing work-life balance. This aligns with the overall goal of ensuring the well-being of employees, as it allows them to identify whether they are devoting sufficient time and energy to both aspects and adjust the focus as necessary.
How to use the Wheel of Life a work?
To perform the Wheel of Life, a circular diagram should be drawn and divided into as many areas as you wish to analyse. As mentioned above, these areas are usually 8, but they can be adapted depending on the sector or moment in which you wish to carry out the wheel of life.
Once we have the diagram drawn, we should proceed as follows:
- Self-assessment: Take a moment to evaluate each area of your life on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is total dissatisfaction, and 10 is total fulfilment.
- Identifying areas for improvement: Once the analysis is complete, connect the dots and look at which areas of your life are out of balance and deserve more attention.
- Goal setting: Define concrete goals for each area and set a realistic action plan. Start by identifying 2 or 3 concrete actions that you can carry out in the short term, and that are oriented towards the goals you would like to accomplish.
Caring for mental well-being in organisations
At ifeel, we know that achieving a work-life balance is fundamental to our well-being and happiness. Using the Wheel of Life at work is a valuable tool that can guide us on this path, while encouraging our career development.
To assist in this process, our team of psychologists specialising in mental well-being has developed a mental well-being program for companies aimed at helping companies enhance employee engagement and boost productivity.
This collaboration allows HR managers to receive personalised, data-based advice on the most effective measures for detecting employee mental health issues and assessing the workplace climate. It’s the best way to understand their needs.
Moreover, ifeel’s corporate mental well-being solution offers employees a structured mental health care service tailored to their needs at any given time.
We hope you found this article on the Wheel of Life at work interesting. If you want more information about our mental well-being solution for companies, simply request it, and we will contact your team soon.
