Why Right Now Is The Perfect Time For A Life Audit
Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash
What is life looking like for you right now? Perhaps you’re stuck at home expected to be a full-time parent, home-school teacher and a full-time employee - and feeling completely overwhelmed.
Or you have been furloughed and are suddenly under pressure to develop a six-pack, learn a new language and launch that side-hustle, instead of scrolling through your phone in distracted alarm.
Maybe you’re self-employed, the projects you were relying on to pay your bills have been shelved indefinitely and You Are Freaking Out. Or you are self-isolating completely alone and the freedom you used to cherish has gradually become acute loneliness. One thing is certain…
Life is weird right now.
Everyone is doing the best they can with whatever situation this pandemic has placed them in. Even if we’re not in immediate danger from the disease itself or its cruel and far-reaching knock-on effects, we are all confronted with the collective grief, anxiety and suspended reality it has caused. At the risk of sounding crudely reductive, we are – simultaneously and in varying degrees of extremity – experiencing a collective major life event.
Major life events trigger major life changes
Major life events – health issues, the death of a loved one, divorce, childbirth (or pandemics) – can be triggers for major life changes. After the shock/grief/awe subsides, we emerge with an altered perspective. They create the conditions for a major recalibration by disrupting our status quo, shaking us up and dropping us back down again, changed. If the stripping back of life that Covid-19 is creating has left you questioning where you’re at and what is really important, now could be the perfect time for a life audit.
Good old optimist Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I don’t agree entirely but I do believe that the examined life is far richer and more fulfilling. A life audit is an opportunity to question and examine what you are currently prioritising and to sense check if that still lines up with where you are right now.
Life changes, priorities change but all too often our habits, activities and behaviours don’t keep up.
Pursuing happier success isn’t just good for you
The cracks of light emerging from this pandemic are the stories of people shopping for the elderly neighbour they rarely used to speak to, families eating together at the table more than they have in years (or ever) and communities applauding key workers each week in a show of unity and gratitude. In our state of crisis, we return to what is most important; our families, our communities, and our connectedness to one another. These stories have given us a moment for pause and hope that we emerge from this experience a kinder society. It’s a collective reminder to prioritise what is important.
Taking time to really analyse where you are putting your time, energy and focus and then training it towards the things that are most important to you, has a positive knock-on effect on those around you.
Think about the people you know at work, in your family or in your social circle who energise and inspire the people around them. Now think about those people who suck the life right out of a room. Those energisers are, more often than not, happy and living a life that is aligned to what they value; while those mood-zappers are likely to be unhappy and dissatisfied.
The happier you are, the more positive your impact on the people around you. And vice versa. Pursuing happier success is not just good for you, it’s good for everyone.
How to conduct a life audit
You only have a finite amount of time, energy and focus. No matter how little you sleep or how much you outsource, you cannot create more hours in the day. No matter how much vitality you have and how brilliantly you multi-task, you cannot put your energy and focus into all areas of your life all at the same time. If you are not intentional about how you invest your time and energy, you can quickly find yourself being guided by old priorities or other people’s needs.
So how do you ‘audit’ your life?
Take a moment to consider all of the different roles you play and the different areas of your life – career, health, spirituality, parent, partner, money, sibling, employee, manager etc. Narrow it down to the 6-8 most important areas/roles to you personally (there are no right or wrong answers here).
Now ask yourself the following questions:
What areas or roles dominate my time, energy and focus?
What areas of my life are being neglected?
What areas of my life feel like they’re getting the right level of attention?
What drains my energy?
What energises me?
Does the way I spend my time align to my current priorities and needs?
What needs of mine are not currently being met?
What can I let go of to make more time for the things that are most important?
Reflect on your responses and consider each area/role - on balance, is the way you are spending your time lining up with how important they are? Make a note of the critical things that you recognise need to be adjusted or re-prioritised and then consider ways that you could make those changes happen.
Is the way you are spending your time
lining up to what is most important?
This exercise gives you an overall sense of what’s important to you and where things in your life may have become lop-sided, over-burdened and under-nourished. The objective here isn’t to set unrealistic expectations across every area of your life (it’s not achievable to have everything ‘perfect’ and well-attended to all of the time) – it’s to develop awareness so you can cultivate a happier, more intentional success (whatever that looks like for you).
You may have heard of The Wheel Of Life, a well-known coaching tool often used at the start of a new coaching relationship. This exercise is based on that model. I’ve also adapted it to take into account our finite time and energy, creating The Life Pie – designed to help people navigate their own life audit. Continue to return to this exercise at significant moments of your year (birthdays, the new year etc) to ensure you’re still lining up your time with what you value most and consider doing it with your loved ones too.
Covid-19 has taken many things from us all and created extreme uncertainty and fear but it has also reminded us what is important and what can fall away. Use the gift of that new perspective as best you can.
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The Life Audit and Life Pie are part of Rewrite Your Career Story helping you to rewrite your relationship with work for happier success.
Monique Shaw is an Executive Career & Leadership Coach and Brand Story Specialist helping passionate, frustrated and ambitious professionals create careers, teams and businesses that are aligned and effective. Book a consult or get in touch to explore how she can support you.
