THE BALANCED WHEEL

Work/life balance is a real issue for most of us. We're continuously juggling roles and responsibilities, dealing with pressures and conflicting demands on our time. Something nearly always has to go. And the part that gets neglected is usually the one that tops up our battery or replenishes our energy. Eventually, this imbalance wears us down, and the result is often illness or chronic tiredness and lethargy. This makes us miss deadlines and opportunities; and the result is, we don't realise our full potential.

Getting your life in balance is a route to more energy, longer life and increased happiness. This exercise brings to your attention how you are doing in having a balanced life.

What to do

Look at the diagram below. Each spoke represents a claim on your time and attention. Each spoke is also a scale divided into 10. The outside of the circle is the best and most fulfilling for you; the centre means that aspect of your life is non-existent. For example, for 'Health', a mark at the outside rim would mean that you are always vibrant and in the best of health; in the centre it would mean that all they have to do is screw down the lid!

• Print out this page
• For each of the elements, put a mark on the line at the point you think you are.
• When you have done this for every spoke, join up the marks.
• This line is now the new rim of the circle.
• If you've got a lumpy circle you would gain a lot from working with a coach to get your life more balanced.
• If your line is nearly a circle but not on the rim, you might consider working with a coach to expand your life, but still retain the balance you have achieved.