The Wheel of Life is a great starting exercise that gives the student a quick view of the balance in his or her life. Rarely do students, or anyone for that matter, take sufficient time out of their day to step back and assess the broader picture of their lives. In the Academic Life Coaching program, the Wheel of Life forms a contextual foundation on which all other concepts of the program are going to fall.

From the Academic Life Coaching Workbook

The Wheel of Life is a popular life coaching exercise that gives your child a quick overview of their current state of affairs. They will identify areas to focus on, and get a great visual representation of progress made. In the Academic Life Coaching Program, we’ll end up doing four Wheels of Life in the ten sessions.

Wheel of Life

From the Academic Life Coaching Workbook

How to Create and Use Your Own Wheel of Life

1) Draw a circle or use the one on the following page.

2) As if the circle were apple pie, draw four lines to cut the pie into eight pieces.

3) Determine the eight areas of your life you want to use. (The wheel that follows has been designed for students)

4) Write each label around the outer edge of the wheel.

(1) School: Your overall experience of being in class and being with your friends
(2) Grades: How happy (or not) you are with your grades
(3) Family: Usually your immediate family, and if you need to break this wedge into two (parents and siblings) that works
(4) Friends: Pretty straightforward
(5) Health: How healthy you feel, how much you exercise, and your diet
(6) Fun: How much fun you are having
(7) Room: How clean or messy your room is and how happy you are with it
(8) Growth: How you feel you are growing personally and spiritually

5) Then rate your current level of satisfaction for each area on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest. 6) Then for each wedge draw a line parallel to the circumference of the circle that represents the percentage of the pie piece that corresponds to your number. After you do this step, you should have a wheel drawn inside the circle that looks like it would be a cog or gear.

How You Can Best Support Your Child

You’re welcome to fill out the Wheel of Life exercise for yourself. In this case, you might substitute school for career, and finances for grades. You can follow the steps from the workbook located below, and answer the questions at the end of the exercise. Feel free to email your child’s coach with inquiries if something remains unclear or raises an interest.

You could show your child your Wheel of Life, allowing them to learn how you’ve evaluated your life in each area. This could spark a conversation over how different aspects of life are connected, as well as what you, as a parent, could learn to do differently through this exercise. This shows your child that finding balance in life is a constant work-in-progress, an area in which most people can relate.

It’s also a good idea to date your Wheels of Life. It’s useful to look back on the quarter and see what you’ve accomplished over the past three months.