Wheel of Life: Career Edition

Using the Wheel of Life to Rethink Work 

Have you ever had the feeling that something in your life was a bit... off? Okay, maybe not in a dramatic way, but more like there's an imbalance you just can't quite name.  

How often do you pause to reflect on the different areas of your life? From relationships and health to career and spirituality, each area plays a role in your overall sense of balance, fulfillment, and well-being. Sure, you can go down and think about each area and whether you feel satisfied or dissatisfied in each.

However, did you know that there's a tool to help you visualize and further identify each area and level of satisfaction? It's known as the Wheel of Life tool, and it's used by many coaches to help clients explore where they are in the moment and use their findings to create strategic goals.  

Originally developed by Paul J. Meyer in the 1960s, the Wheel of Life was used to help people realize their goals. Over the years, this tool has been revised and adapted to offer flexible and practical insights. While the segments may vary, the typical categories include: 

• Family and Home 

• Financial and Career 

• Mental and Education 

• Physical and Health 

• Social and Cultural 

• Spiritual and Ethical 

Other categories include money and finances, fun and recreation, community, personal growth, learning, among others. There are different styles to use in assessing each category, so for the purpose of this article, let's consider the spider web style (see Figure 1). A quick synopsis of how to use the Wheel of Life:  

1. Draw a circle 

2. Divide the circle into 8 to 10 segments 

3. Label each segment with a distinct category 

4. Provide a rating scale from 1 to 10 in each segment 

5. Label each category from 1 (most dissatisfied) to 10 (most satisfied) 

Figure 1

Wheel of Life

What makes it a spider web style is that after labeling each category with a dot, you connect the dots to make a unique shape. Some webs are wide and pretty evenly distributed, indicating high levels of satisfaction in many, if not most areas of life. However, that's not always the case. Some webs may be smaller, uneven, or chaotic looking. This is indicative of areas of lower satisfaction in certain categories.  

The Wheel of Life is a simple visual tool that allows you to see where you may want to improve on by creating goals and setting objectives for yourself to improve specific areas in your life to boost your overall satisfaction. Its flexibility allows you to customize it in any way you see fit. Perhaps you use this tool during different seasons of your life, or you adapt the categories to be more specific and focused to help you gain even more clarity.  

So, on the topic of making it more specific, have you considered how you could use this tool to be career-oriented? For many people, their careers dominate a large part of their lives, but the concept of job satisfaction can be oversimplified. When something feels off at work, we may not know how to effectively pinpoint what it is. Maybe it will pass if we give it time. (Or maybe it'll fester and bleed into other areas... but how will we know if we don't investigate it any further?) 

While the traditional Wheel of Life categories can be amazing for evaluating all the different aspects that make up your life, a more career-focused version of this tool can allow for even deeper exploration of what actually feels off in your career.

So consider this: The Wheel of Life: Career Edition. Just like the traditional Wheel of Life, you'll create your segmented wheel and label it with 8 to 10 categories (see Figure 2). These categories will include: 

• Day-to-day Tasks  

• Workplace Relationships  

• Values Alignment  

• Purpose & Meaning  

• Work-Life Balance  

• Salary & Compensation  

• Growth & Learning  

• Autonomy & Influence 

Figure 2

Wheel of Life: Career Edition

As you complete this self-assessment, you may ask yourself questions like,

"Are my tasks energizing or draining me?"

"Does my job align with my values?"

or perhaps even,

"What are my values?"  

Consider whether you're feeling generally satisfied in each area or whether a certain area (or two... or three!) gives you a sense of unease.

Fun fact: Gallup’s research on employee engagement and satisfaction shows that only around one-third of employees feel engaged in their work (Harter, 2016). Are you within that one-third category, or do you fall out of it in some areas?  

So, are you ready to take a closer look at your own career journey? Click here to download a free, printable version of the Wheel of Life: Career Edition and begin identifying your own areas of satisfaction. Remember, you can complete this tool on more than one occasion to gain a sense of insight and direction in your career journey!  

Bonus 

Here are some questions you can ask yourself for each of the categories listed: 

Day-to-Day Tasks 

• Are my tasks energizing or draining? 

• Do they align with my strengths  

• Do they feel monotonous? 

Workplace Relationships 

• I am supported, respected, and connected? 

• How safe or psychologically comfortable do I feel? 

Values Alignment 

• Are there any internal conflicts between “who I am” and “what I do”? 

• Does my work reflect my personal values? 

• What are my values? (VIA link) 

Purpose & Meaning 

• Do I feel like my work matters? 

• Does it contribute to something beyond a paycheck? 

Work-Life Balance 

• Do I have enough time and energy for life outside of work? 

• Are boundaries respected or blurred? 

Salary & Compensation 

• Am I paid fairly for my skills and effort? 

• Does my compensation support my goals? 

Growth & Learning 

• Am I growing professionally? 

• Do I feel challenged and supported in development? 

Autonomy & Influence 

• How much control do I have over my work? 

• Do my opinions or decisions make an impact? 

Reference

Harter, A. M. (2016, January 7). The worldwide employee engagement crisis. Gallup. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/188033/worldwide-employee-engagementcrisis.aspx