The topic of Balance is one that has been written about time and time again. So, I asked myself, why is it that I am so resistant to doing the things I know would make my life work in so many ways. Since planning is not one of my fortes, I enlisted my new coach, Audrey, to help and support me to actually accomplish this elusive thing called Life/Work Balance. Below I've listed the categories that I'm only beginning to allow myself to live with.

Take a piece of paper and draw a large circle and draw eight even lines like pieces of a pie. Label each one as follows:

Physical Environment: Do I like where I'm living. Do I want to change my environment of improve it. Can include buying new home, renting new apartment and/or redecorate, etc.

Career: Time for a change?

Health: Fill in the blanks.

Fun & Self-Renewal: What are you doing now and what will you commit to doing for fun and relaxation?

Inner Growth: What do you do to feed your soul?

Significant Other: Fill in the blanks.

Family & Community: Who is important to stay in contact with, reconnect with and what community activities do you want to participate in as an individual and/or family?

Health: Got exercise? Good eats?

Finances: Business/Personal: What systems are you using to keep track of your finances and manage them - for growth?

Here's what Audrey, my coach, says, "Your career (and business) success is directly impacted by your capacity to persevere in the face of demands from every other area of your life. Therefore, it is important to take stock of other life areas to see how you can build on your strong areas while managing the weaker ones. Out of this assessment you can create a life plan that will support your business (or life) plan."

The sections in the wheel, or pie, divide your life into eight areas. Each life area is represented by one piece of pie. When you're done the size of each pie piece will give visual feedback, and a less satisfying life will look like a smaller pie."

Treating the center of the wheel as 0 and the outer rim as 10, indicate your level of satisfaction with each life area by drawing a new outer rim for that piece of the pie. Consider 10 as totally fulfilled and 0 as totally unfulfilled, and 5 as halfway between. In other words, if there's an area that's only half as good as you could imagine, its pie piece would only fill the inner half between the center of the pie and the rim. (If working online, you may use a number for each section instead.) When you're done, step back and notice the overall balance of what's working for you and what's not working for you.

Take some time to evaluate what you've put into each one of these pieces of your Life's Pie and make a decision about whether it looks balanced or not. Most importantly, notice and fill in what areas need adjusting. The next steps are the hardest - implementation! That's where I'm at now. I've filled in the pieces and now I'm scheduling actual time every week to include the things I've committed to and, do them.

Remember to enlist the help of a career or life planning coach if you need help!

Published on June 8, 2010 : http://EzineArticles.com/4385220