The Wheel of Life: how to fill it in and what to do with your score
The Wheel of Life is a one-page picture of how satisfied you are with each part of your life. It takes ten minutes, needs nothing but a pen, and shows in one glance what a to-do list never will: which part of your life you have stopped looking at.
By Edward Korytskyi, founder of Elegix · Updated · 7 min read
What is the Wheel of Life?
The Wheel of Life is a circle split into slices, one slice for each area of your life. You rate how satisfied you are with each area from 1 to 10 and shade each slice up to that number. The result looks like a wheel with a bumpy edge, and the bumps are the point: they show where your life is out of balance.
The tool is usually credited to Paul J. Meyer, who used it in his coaching programmes in the 1960s. Coaches and therapists still use it today because it is fast, honest and hard to argue with. You don't need an app to do it, though an app helps you repeat it and see the change over time.
The 6 areas of life to score
Versions of the wheel use anywhere from 6 to 12 areas. More slices give more detail but make the picture harder to read and the habit harder to keep. Elegix uses six, because six is enough to cover a whole life and few enough to rate in under a minute:
- Health: sleep, movement, food and energy.
- Relationships: family, friends, partner and community.
- Spirituality: values, reflection, mindfulness and inner calm.
- Leisure: rest, play, creativity and things you do for fun.
- Personal growth: learning, skills, reading and new challenges.
- Finance & career: work, income, savings and business.
If one area matters a lot to you and doesn't fit, such as home or parenting, add it. A wheel you believe in beats a perfect template.
How to fill in your Wheel of Life in 10 minutes
Draw the wheel
Draw a circle and split it into six equal slices. Write one area next to each slice. Mark rings from 1 at the centre to 10 at the edge.
Ask one question per area
“How satisfied am I with this part of my life right now?” Not last year, not after the next promotion. Today.
Score fast
Give each area a number from 1 to 10 in a few seconds. Your first answer is usually the honest one. 10 means you wouldn't change a thing; 1 means it hurts.
Shade each slice
Colour each slice from the centre out to its score. Now look at the edge of the shape you drew.
Write one sentence per low score
For every area under 6, finish the sentence “It's low because…”. This turns a number into something you can act on.
Don't want to draw? Take the free Life Balance Check on our home page: rate the same 6 areas and we email your score and one first step for your lowest area.
How to read your wheel
Look at the shape before you look at the numbers. Three patterns come up again and again:
- One deep dent. Most areas are fine and one is far behind. This is the easiest wheel to fix: you know exactly where to start.
- A lopsided wheel. One or two areas are at 8 to 10 and the rest are low. This is the classic shape of people who are crushing it at work and losing the rest. The high area is often feeding on the time and energy of the others.
- A small, even wheel. Everything sits around 4 or 5. Nothing is on fire, and nothing feels good. This often points at tiredness or burnout rather than at one area. Start with health and rest.
Your average across all areas is your balance score. It's useful to track, but the gaps matter more than the average: a 7 made of 9s and 3s feels very different from a 7 made of 7s.
What to do after you fill it in
The wheel is a diagnosis, not a plan. Most people stop at the picture, feel bad for a day and change nothing. Instead:
Pick one area
Choose the lowest score, or the one where a small change would lift the others. Better sleep often lifts health, leisure and work at once.
Choose one weekly action
Make it small enough that you can't fail: two evening walks, one call to a friend, one hour of reading on Sunday.
Re-score every week
Rate all six areas again once a week. It takes a minute and catches a slipping area before it turns into a crisis.
Review once a month
Compare four weeks of scores. Did the dent close? Did another area pay the price? Adjust and pick the next area.
This weekly loop is exactly what Elegix is built around: a 1-minute weekly check-in, goals and habits tied to each area, and a monthly review. Read more in our guide to the 10-minute weekly review.
Questions people ask
How often should I do the Wheel of Life?
A full wheel with notes once a month, and a quick re-score of all areas once a week. Weekly scores catch problems early; the monthly wheel shows the trend.
What is a good Wheel of Life score?
There is no passing grade. Most people land between 5 and 7 on average. What matters is the gap between your highest and lowest area and whether your lowest area is moving up.
Should every area be a 10?
No. Balance doesn't mean equal. A launch month or a new baby will pull your wheel out of shape for a while. The goal is to notice it and choose it, not to let an area slide for a year without looking.
Is there a Wheel of Life app?
Elegix is a life balance tracker built on the Wheel of Life: you rate your 6 areas weekly, link goals and habits to them and see your balance over time. It's free on iOS and Android; join the waitlist for early access.