How to Do a Life Audit & Figure Out What You Want Out of Life

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You can’t change what you haven’t taken the time to look at.

Maybe you’ve been feeling like something in your life is off. You’re busy, you’re doing all the things you’re supposed to be doing, and from the outside, everything looks pretty decent, but you’re not particularly excited about any of it.

Perhaps you know exactly what’s bothering you. You’re unhappy with your job, frustrated with your finances, tired of putting off things you want to do, or just sick of feeling like you’re going through the motions.

You know you want something to change. You just don’t know where to start.

That’s where a life audit comes in.

Before you start making resolutions, setting goals, or putting together a vision board full of things you think you want, it’s worth taking an honest look at the life you’re currently living.

There’s not much point in creating a plan for your future if you haven’t figured out what you actually want that future to look like.

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What Is a Life Audit?

A life audit is exactly what it sounds like: taking inventory of your life.

You’re looking at the different areas of your life, evaluating how you feel about them, identifying what’s working, and figuring out what you’d like to change.

One popular way to do this is with an exercise called the Wheel of Life.

The Wheel of Life divides your life into different categories and asks you to rate your satisfaction with each one, usually on a scale of 1 to 10.

The idea is to give you a visual representation of how things are going across different parts of your life.

This isn’t a test. You’re not being graded. The goal isn’t to score a perfect 10 in every category.

This exercise is about figuring out what matters to you.

Not what your parents wanted. Not what society expects. Not what someone on Instagram is doing.

You.

Step 1: Look at the Eight Areas of Your Life

We’re going to use eight categories based on the traditional Wheel of Life.

These categories give you a starting point for looking at your life from different angles.

Before you start worrying about whether every category applies to you, let me make something clear:

You can skip, rename, combine, or replace any of these categories.

If something isn’t important to you, don’t feel like you need to manufacture a goal around it.

1. Career & Purpose

This isn’t just about your job title or how much money you make.

It’s about how you spend your time, whether your work feels worthwhile, and whether you’re happy with the direction you’re going.

Ask yourself:

• Am I happy with what I do every day?
• Does my work fit the kind of life I want?
• Do I feel fulfilled, challenged, or appropriately compensated?
• Am I pursuing something I actually want, or something I thought I was supposed to want?

If you’re retired, not working, or have no interest in climbing a career ladder, this category might be more about purpose, volunteering, creative projects, or whatever gives your days meaning.

2. Health & Well-Being

Think about your physical health, mental well-being, energy, sleep, stress, and how you generally feel.

This isn’t about having a certain body type or following someone else’s idea of a healthy lifestyle.

It’s about whether your current habits support the way you want to feel and live.

Ask yourself:

• Do I generally feel good physically and mentally?
• Am I getting enough rest?
• Do my daily habits support my well-being?
• Is there something I’ve been neglecting that would make a meaningful difference?

3. Financial Life

Money affects a lot more than your bank account.

It can influence your choices, opportunities, stress levels, and how much freedom you have to do the things you want, but financial satisfaction doesn’t necessarily mean being wealthy.

Ask yourself:

• Do I feel comfortable with my current financial situation?
• Am I constantly stressed about money?
• Am I making progress toward financial goals that matter to me?
• Does the way I spend my money reflect my actual priorities?

4. Home & Environment

Your environment can have a significant impact on how you feel.

This includes your home, neighborhood, workspace, and the spaces where you spend most of your time.

Ask yourself:

• Do I enjoy being in my home?
• Does my environment support the way I want to live?
• Is there anything about my surroundings that consistently frustrates or drains me?
• What would make my everyday environment more comfortable or functional?

5. Family & Relationships

Think about your relationships with family, friends, and the people you choose to have in your life.

This category isn’t about having a large social circle or maintaining relationships simply because someone is related to you.

It’s about the quality of your connections.

Ask yourself:

• Do I feel supported and valued in my relationships?
• Am I making time for the people who matter to me?
• Are there relationships that consistently drain my energy?
• Am I happy with the connections I have?

6. Love & Partnership

If romantic relationships are important to you, this is an opportunity to consider how satisfied you are with that part of your life.

You might be married, dating, single, or somewhere in between.

Ask yourself:

• Am I happy with my current relationship situation?
• Do I feel respected, supported, and appreciated?
• Am I communicating my needs and expectations?
• Am I pursuing a relationship because I want one or because I feel like I should?

If you have absolutely no interest in a romantic relationship?

Skip it.

Being single isn’t a problem that needs solving.

The same applies to every other category. If it doesn’t fit the life you want, you don’t have to include it.

7. Fun & Recreation

This one matters more than people sometimes give it credit for.

Life isn’t supposed to be an endless cycle of working, paying bills, doing chores, and recovering just enough energy to do it all again.

Fun deserves a place in your life, too.

That may mean traveling, spending time outdoors, pursuing hobbies, going to concerts, exploring somewhere new, or simply having more time to do absolutely nothing.

Ask yourself:

• Am I making time for things I genuinely enjoy?
• When was the last time I did something just because I wanted to?
• Are there experiences I’ve been putting off?
• Does my life have enough room for enjoyment, relaxation, and adventure?

8. Personal Growth

Personal growth doesn’t mean constantly trying to become a more productive or successful version of yourself.

It can mean learning something new, developing confidence, changing an old belief, exploring an interest, or becoming more comfortable with who you are.

Ask yourself:

• Am I learning or experiencing things that interest me?
• Is there something I’ve wanted to try but keep putting off?
• Are my current beliefs and habits helping me live the life I want?
• Am I growing in ways that actually matter to me?

You also don’t need a personal development project running at all times.

Sometimes you’re happy with where you are. That’s allowed.

Step 2: Score Each Area From 1 to 10

Now that you’ve looked at the categories, it’s time to give each one a score.

Use a scale from 1 to 10 based on how satisfied you feel with that area of your life right now.

• 1–3: I’m very unhappy with how things are going in this area.
• 4–6: Some things are working, but there are aspects I’d like to change.
• 7–8: I’m generally happy, although there’s room for improvement if I want it.
• 9–10: I’m genuinely happy with this area of my life as it is.

These descriptions are just guides. Your interpretation of the numbers is what matters.

Don’t spend twenty minutes debating whether something deserves a 6 or a 7.

Go with the number that feels most accurate.

Then, next to each score, write one honest sentence explaining why you chose it.

Life area	Score	Why?
Career & Purpose	8	I enjoy my work, but I’d like more flexibility.
Health & Well-Being	5	I’m tired most of the time and haven’t been prioritizing sleep.
Financial Life	4	I’m paying my bills, but I’m not saving as much as I’d like.
Home & Environment	9	I love my home and feel comfortable here.
Family & Relationships	7	My relationships are good, but I’d like to see my friends more.
Love & Partnership	8	I’m happy with my relationship.
Fun & Recreation	3	I rarely make time to do anything just for fun.
Personal Growth	7	I’m learning new things and generally happy with my progress.

This is a fictional example, but it shows how quickly you can start identifying patterns.

A number and an honest explanation are enough to get started.

Step 3: Look at What Your Scores Are Actually Telling You

It’s tempting to look at your scores, find the lowest number, and immediately decide that’s what you need to fix, but your lowest score isn’t automatically your highest priority.

Let’s say you scored Fun & Recreation a 3 because you haven’t traveled much or spent time on hobbies lately.

That might be something you’re genuinely unhappy about, or maybe you’re perfectly content staying home right now because you’re focused on something else.

Those are two very different situations.

The number alone doesn’t tell you which one applies.

Ask Yourself What Actually Matters

For every area you’ve scored, consider three questions:

1. Am I unhappy with this area, or do I just think I should be doing more?

Maybe you gave your career a 5 because you’re not earning six figures or chasing a promotion, but you like your job. Your bills are paid. You have time for your family, hobbies, and the things you enjoy.

Do you actually want a different career? Or have you convinced yourself that you’re supposed to be more ambitious?

There’s a difference.

2. How important is changing this area to me right now?

You may have several low scores, but that doesn’t mean every area deserves the same amount of attention.

Does improving your health feel much more important than renovating your kitchen?

Does building financial security matter more to you right now than taking another vacation?

Your priorities are allowed to reflect your current circumstances.

3. Is something else contributing to this score?

Let’s say you scored Fun & Recreation a 3 because you want to travel more but can’t afford it.

You also scored Financial Life a 4.

Suddenly, you might realize that the issue isn’t a lack of interest in having fun. It’s that your financial situation is limiting your options.

Improving your finances could eventually help improve both scores.

That’s why it’s worth looking at how different parts of your life affect one another.

Look for Patterns, Not Just Low Numbers

Let’s say your career score is high, but your health, relationships, and recreation scores are all low.

That could be a sign that work is taking up more of your life than you’d like.

Perhaps your financial score is low, and you realize money concerns are affecting several other areas.

These connections can tell you more than any individual score.

The goal isn’t to make every number a 10. It’s to identify which changes would make the biggest difference in your actual life.

Remember, some areas might not need changing at all. You don’t have to invent problems just to have something to work on.

Step 4: Decide What You Want to Change

If you’ve just identified five areas you’re unhappy with, your first instinct might be to start working on all five immediately.

New workout routine. New budget. New morning routine. New hobby. New career plan.

All starting Monday.

Sounds productive.

Until Wednesday rolls around and you’re already exhausted by the life overhaul you’ve assigned yourself.

You do not need to fix your entire life at once.

In fact, trying to change too many things simultaneously can make it harder to maintain any of them.

Instead, look at your audit and identify the one or two areas that deserve your attention first.

Consider which changes matter most to you, which are realistic right now, and whether improving one area might positively affect others.

Focus on One or Two Major Goals at a Time

My suggestion is to start with one major goal for the next three months.

If you have the time, energy, and capacity, two might be manageable.

For example, if improving your financial situation is your biggest priority, you might spend the next quarter focusing on building an emergency fund.

That doesn’t mean you stop caring about your health, relationships, or hobbies.

You can maintain the things that are already working while directing more of your energy toward one meaningful change.

Then once you’ve made progress, you can reassess what comes next.

Step 5: Turn Your Priority Into an Actual Goal

“I want to be better with money.”

“I want to get healthier.”

“I want to have more fun.”

Those are perfectly reasonable things to want, but they’re not particularly useful as action plans.

You need to get specific about what you’re trying to accomplish and what you’re going to do to get there.

This is where SMART goals can help.

SMART stands for:

• Specific: What exactly do you want to accomplish?
• Measurable: How will you know you’re making progress?
• Achievable: Is the goal realistic given your circumstances?
• Relevant: Does it actually matter to you?
• Time-bound: When do you want to accomplish it?

Instead of:

“I want to save more money.”

Try:

“I want to save $600 over the next three months by automatically transferring $50 into savings every week.”

Now you have something concrete.

You know what you’re working toward, what action you need to take, and how you’ll measure your progress.

If $50 a week isn’t realistic?

Change the number.

The point is to make progress toward something that matters to you.

Step 6: Build the Habits That Support Your Goals

Setting a goal is one thing, but changing your day-to-day behavior is another.

Most meaningful goals require repeated actions, not one big burst of motivation.

Let’s say your priority is improving your health.

You decide you want to start walking for 30 minutes, four days a week.

Great.

Now you need to figure out how to make that happen consistently.

When will you walk? Where will you walk? What happens when your schedule changes? What will you do on days when you don’t feel like it?

These are the kinds of details that turn an intention into something you can realistically maintain.

Give Yourself Time Before Adding More

I strongly suggest allowing your new habits to become reasonably consistent before piling on additional changes.

If you’re still struggling to fit your walks into your schedule, then this isn’t the week to introduce a completely new morning routine, start meal prepping every Sunday, and commit to learning a new language.

Give yourself some room to adjust.

There isn’t a magical number of days that guarantees a habit will stick. Some behaviors become easier relatively quickly, while others take considerably longer.

What matters is whether the habit is becoming manageable within your actual life, and no, missing a day doesn’t mean you’ve failed.

It means you missed a day.

Get back to it.

You don’t have to finish one goal before beginning another. You just don’t need to keep adding commitments faster than you can realistically maintain them.

Step 7: Check In With Yourself Regularly

A life audit isn’t something you complete once, file away, and never look at again.

Your circumstances change. Your priorities change. Sometimes the things you thought you wanted turn out not to be particularly important after all.

That’s why it’s worth revisiting your audit, but you don’t need to constantly reevaluate every aspect of your existence, either.

Here’s the schedule I’d suggest.

Once a Year: Complete a Full Life Audit

Take a fresh look at every category you’ve chosen.

Score them again, reflect on what’s changed, and consider what you’d like to focus on during the coming year.

This is also a good time to review your bigger-picture goals and update your vision board.

Every Three Months: Review Your Goals and Habits

A quarterly check-in doesn’t need to be another full audit.

Ask yourself:

• What progress have I made?
• Which habits are working?
• What’s been harder than expected?
• Do these goals still matter to me?
• What should I focus on during the next three months?

You can continue working on the same goal, adjust your approach, or decide you’re ready to focus on something new.

Every Six Months: Revisit Your Scores

Take another look at the categories and see whether your satisfaction levels have changed.

Has your financial score improved because you’ve built up some savings?

Did your health score drop because you’ve been dealing with a particularly stressful few months?

Maybe something that mattered a lot to you six months ago doesn’t feel nearly as important anymore.

That’s useful information.

You Don’t Have to Wait Until January

I know life audits, goal setting, and vision boards tend to get a lot of attention around the New Year, but if you’re reading this in July, there’s absolutely no reason to wait another six months.

You don’t need a new year, a new month, or even a Monday to start making changes.

Start whenever you’re ready.

Step 8: Use Your Life Audit to Create a Vision Board

Once you’ve completed your audit, you’ll have a much better idea of what you want to work toward, and that’s when creating a vision board becomes more useful.

Instead of filling a board with random pictures of expensive houses, luxury vacations, perfect bodies, and other things that look appealing, you can choose images that represent goals you’ve put thought into.

Let’s say your audit revealed that you want more financial freedom, or you want to travel more, spend more time with friends, create a more peaceful home, or change careers.

Your vision board can reflect those things, but here’s an important distinction.

Your vision board can represent your bigger dreams without requiring you to pursue every single one right now.

You may have larger goals that will take several years to accomplish, or smaller goals you can achieve in a few months.

You may even include things you’re interested in exploring but haven’t fully committed to yet.

That’s fine.

Your board is a visual representation of the direction you want your life to go.

Your action plan is how you start moving in that direction.

If you haven’t created yours yet, my guide to How to Make a Vision Board for 2027 walks through turning your goals into a board you can actually use.

A Few Things to Remember Before You Start

There are a few mistakes worth avoiding when you’re doing a life audit.

Don’t compare your scores to someone else’s life.

Someone might be thrilled with a quiet, predictable routine while someone else wants constant adventure and change.

Neither is inherently better.

Don’t assume every low score needs fixing.

Some things simply aren’t important to you. Others might be temporary circumstances you’re comfortable accepting for now.

Don’t turn your audit into a giant list of obligations.

Identifying ten things you’d like to change doesn’t mean you need to work on all ten immediately.

Don’t ignore the things that are already going well.

If you’re genuinely happy with an area of your life, appreciate that. You don’t need to constantly raise the bar just because you can.

Don’t complete the audit only to forget about it.

Choose something meaningful to work toward, even if your first step is small. Otherwise, you’ve just spent an afternoon assigning numbers to your life.

The Point Isn’t to Build a Perfect Life

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that there’s always something we should be doing better.

We should be earning more, accomplishing more, exercising more, traveling more, learning more, and somehow finding time to enjoy ourselves in between.

What if you’re chasing goals that made sense five years ago but don’t fit the person you are now?

What if you’re so busy doing what you think you’re supposed to do that you haven’t stopped to consider whether any of it is making you happy?

That’s what I want you to get out of this exercise.

Not eight perfect scores.

Not a completely redesigned life by next Tuesday.

Just a clearer understanding of where you are, what matters to you, and what you want to do next.

You can spend years working toward a version of success that doesn’t actually make you happy, or you can take the time to figure out what you want and start building toward that instead.

Figure out what you want. Make a plan. Take the steps. Build a life you actually enjoy living.

That’s the whole point.

If you’re still figuring out whether the life you’re living is the one you actually want, start with Are You Living a Life You Actually Want? Then when you’re ready to turn your audit into a visual plan, head to How to Make a Vision Board for 2027.

Until next time,

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