The Wheel of Life

Methods Monday: The Wheel of Life – Gaining clarity about what supports your life

Sometimes clients come to coaching with a diffuse sense of dissatisfaction. There is no specific problem they can point to, rather a feeling that their current situation as a whole does not feel quite right.

The Wheel of Life is a coaching method that addresses exactly this point. At a glance, it creates clarity about which areas of life are well nourished and where things feel out of balance. Simple, visual, and at the same time profound, it helps clients pause, recognise priorities, and take conscious next steps.

What is the Wheel of Life?

The Wheel of Life is a well-established tool for personal self-assessment. It looks at key areas of life in parallel and makes visible how satisfied someone currently feels in each of them.

The focus is not on an objective evaluation, but on the coachee’s personal perception. The Wheel of Life provides a structured framework to make dissatisfaction tangible and to gain a differentiated picture of one’s current life situation.

Structure and application of the method

The Wheel of Life consists of a circle divided into several segments (spokes). Each spoke represents a life area that is relevant to the coachee. Typical areas include:

• Career & work

• Family

• Friends & relationships

• Love & partnership

• Health & fitness

• Finances

• Leisure & recreation

• Personal development

• Meaning & values

• Self-love and self-care

Depending on the coachee’s concerns, other areas can be added or existing ones adapted. The Wheel of Life is not a rigid model, but a flexible tool that aligns with the individual’s lived reality. What matters most is that the life areas considered are personally relevant to the coachee.

From the centre of the circle to the outer edge, satisfaction is scaled, usually from 0 to 10:

• 10 represents a very high level of satisfaction in the respective life area.

• The lower the satisfaction, the closer the point lies to the centre of the circle.

The points are then connected. The result shows how “round” life currently feels and where imbalances exist.

The coaching process – how I work with the Wheel of Life

Working with the Wheel of Life follows a clear process. The exact flow always emerges collaboratively within the coaching session and is guided by the client’s individual concerns, situation, and needs.

Typical steps in the coaching process include:

1. Scaling the life areas

   The coachee assesses their level of satisfaction in each life area.

   
   

2. Focusing

   If several areas are rated as unsatisfactory, the coachee chooses the one that feels most pressing at the moment.

   
   

3. Deepening

   The selected life area is explored in more detail. Together, we identify the factors that feel particularly challenging, draining, or energy-consuming.

   
   

4. Deriving next steps

   Finally, concrete and realistic steps are developed that allow for a timely improvement in how the client feels.

   
   

In this way, an initial snapshot becomes a clearly structured, action-oriented coaching process.

Practical example from coaching

A client came to coaching with the feeling of being stuck professionally. When working with the Wheel of Life, it became clear that not only her career was rated low, but also rest and personal development.

Looking at the wheel together revealed that a lack of recovery had a significant impact on her professional satisfaction. By making targeted changes in her daily routine, her energy level improved first, which in turn had a positive effect on other areas of her life.

Why the Wheel of Life is so effective

The Wheel of Life is effective because it brings structure to complex life situations without oversimplifying them. It makes visible what is often only perceived as a vague sense of unease.

The method is particularly powerful because it:

• depicts dissatisfaction in a differentiated and comprehensible way

• makes interdependencies between life areas visible

• clarifies priorities without forcing premature solutions

• strengthens self-reflection and personal responsibility

• creates a solid foundation for further coaching work

Through visualisation, distance from one’s own situation emerges. This distance enables clarity, and clarity is a key prerequisite for sound decisions and sustainable change.

Who is the Wheel of Life suitable for?

The Wheel of Life is particularly suitable for people who:

• want to reflect on their current life situation

• experience several life areas as challenging at the same time

• are facing important decisions

• are looking for orientation for their next steps

• appreciate a clearly structured entry into coaching

It is suitable both for people who are new to coaching and for clients with prior coaching experience. Its clear structure offers orientation without avoiding complexity and can be flexibly applied in different coaching settings.

Conclusion

The Wheel of Life is a clear and structured tool for personal self-assessment. It creates an overview, makes connections visible, and provides a solid foundation for change. In coaching, it supports focused and effective work on the issues that truly matter.

If you would like to take a structured look at your current life situation and develop concrete next steps, I would be happy to support you in coaching.Feel free to get in touch for an initial, free consultation.

Yours, Johanna