How to use the Wheel of Life: a step-by-step guide for leaders

The Wheel of Life is a simple self-assessment used widely in coaching. You divide a circle into segments, name each one after an area of your life, score your satisfaction with each from 1 to 10, and look at the shape. It takes about 30 minutes the first time.

The method below follows the free WhiteBridge Wheel of Life pack, which has blank 8- and 10-segment templates and a full user guide.

What the wheel is, and what it is not

The wheel is usually credited to Paul J. Meyer, whose goal-setting programmes from the 1960s were built around a small number of life areas. I have not found a primary source that dates the wheel itself, so treat that as common practice rather than settled history.

It is a reflection tool. It is not a psychometric test, and it has no standard scoring norms: your 6 and someone else’s 6 can mean quite different things. If the exercise brings up something that needs more than coaching, such as exhaustion or a health concern, that is a conversation for a different professional.

Before you start

You need:

• A blank wheel template, printed or on a screen you can draw on
• A pen or pencil in 2 colours
• 30 minutes somewhere quiet
• Your calendar, to set a date for the next assessment

Step 1: choose 8 or 10 segments

Use 8 segments for a first assessment. Use 10 if one area carries enough weight that you want to split it, for example your team from your peers, or health from energy. Write your name and the date at the top.

Step 2: name the segments

Write the name of one area beside each segment. Use areas that matter to you, and make sure each one is distinct from the others.

These are examples. You don't have to use any of them, feel free to pick your own.

Step 3: score each segment

Look at one segment and ask: “How satisfied am I with this area now?” Give it a score from 1 to 10, where 1 is not satisfied and 10 is fully satisfied. Use your first answer. Do the same for each segment, and do not compare your scores with anyone else’s.

Step 4: mark the current scores

In your first colour, shade each segment from the centre out to the ring of its score.

Step 5: read the shape

Look at the whole wheel before you look at any single segment. We know that a wheel with an irregular shape cannot turn smoothly, and the irregular parts in your wheel show where your attention has not been balanced as well as it could be.

Now answer these questions:

1. Which score surprises you?
2. Which segment has the highest score, and what keeps it high?
3. Which segment has the lowest score, and what stops it from increasing?
4. If one score increased by 2 points, which other scores would change?
5. What shape do you want the wheel to have in 3 months?

Step 6: set target scores

In your second colour, mark the score you want for each segment in 3 months. Calculate the gap for each one. Don't set a target of 10 everywhere. Too many high targets make the plan impossible to keep.

Step 7: choose 1 or 2 priorities

Select 1 or 2 segments only. Choose the ones where a small change could improve other segments too. Do not automatically choose the lowest score: some areas get less attention in some seasons of life by choice, and that can be the right decision.

Step 8: write down your actions

For each priority, write one action you can start this week, the name of anyone who can help, and how you will know the action is complete.

Step 9: do it again in 3 months

Put a date in your calendar 3 months from today. On that date, use a new template, and don't look at the old one before you score. Then compare the 2 wheels.

Using the wheel with a coach

A wheel completed alone is useful. Talked through with someone who asks good questions, it usually shows more, because the first explanation we give ourselves is rarely the whole story. In coaching, you decide which parts to share, and the coach asks questions rather than telling you what your scores mean.

Get the templates and guide

The WhiteBridge Wheel of Life pack has blank 8- and 10-segment templates, a 9-step user guide and the questions above, ready to print. It is free: Get the Wheel of Life.

If your wheel raises something you would like to think through, I would be glad to hear from you. A first conversation commits you to nothing. 

If your wheel raises something you would like to think through, I'd be happy to hear from you. A first conversation commits you to nothing: half an hour, no charge.