Reserve about an hour of uninterrupted clock time for this exercise. You will need paper and pen or pencil. "In order to rearrange your life to get what you want done, you need a clear picture of your life as it is today. [In order to travel somewhere, you need to know where you are starting. Then you can figure out which way to go.] The object is to put your life--all of it--on one sheet of paper. Then you can scan it at a glance." (The major part of this exercise appears in Get It All Done and Still Be Human, by Tony and Robbie Fanning (Ballantine Books, 1979, pp. 4-11).) Remember that this exercise is about your life as it is now, not as it was sometime in the past, and not as you hope it will be.
"1. In the center of a blank piece of paper, write the word "Life" and draw a circle around it. Think of the many roles you play each day. As they occur to you, print them on spokes radiating from the center. These roles name the different faces we wear each day, and our relationships with other people and the outside world: father, mother, child, lover, businessperson, friend, runner, shopper, cook, artist, writer, student, teacher." As you do this exercise, if you have interesting insights or feelings about what you're doing, write these down on a separate piece of paper.
At this point you may wish to do the Role Cycling Exercise, which can facilitate a sense of balance as you change from one role to another throughout the day.
"2. Once you are satisfied that your major roles are in the pattern, branch out from the roles. Start by naming the activities involved in those roles--whatever pops into your mind. Keep branching away from the center. . . . If you think of another role, put in another spoke from the center. When an activity pops into your mind, insert it as another branch." Once again, if you have insights or feelings about what you're doing, write them down on a separate piece of paper.
Take about twenty minutes, and on another blank piece of paper, do your Wish list:
"3. In your Life pattern, you have created an overall view of your life as it is today, with all its important facets. But some things are missing. Nagging away in that small uncomfortable corner at the back of your mind are all those things you've never finished and the things you've never started: your wishes and regrets.
"Now is the time to sort them out. What is missing from your life? What, exactly, are you not doing that you wish you were doing or had done? Put it in your Wish list (regrets are only wishes about the past)." Use two columns on your paper, one for things unfinished, one for things unstarted.
"4. Look at your Life pattern. Each of the unfinished/unstarted regrets/wishes you listed in your Wish list fits into it somewhere. You may already have put it into your Life pattern. Add everything you listed under Unfinished and Unstarted to the branches of your Life pattern." If possible, use a different color pen or pencil to add these branches. Again, record any insights or feelings on a separate piece of paper.
"If you cannot find a category for something on your Wish list, you need to create a new branch off of your Life expressly for that particular item. Often people spend all their time doing for others and not for themselves. We all need a "personal" or "just for me" branch. Is that what's missing from your Life pattern? Add it, if it is."
Now "you have a visual picture of who you are today and what you would like to add to your life." In order to manage our lives, we need to know where our time and energy is going, and all the activities we would like to add to our lives. This picture can give us such a holistic view.
Finally, check back over the insights and feelings you wrote down while doing the above exercise. Is anything unfinished about them? Do they indicate further activities or projects to add to your pattern and wish list? If so, add them now.
To get an even better picture of your life as it is today, including your current directions and priorities, try the following exercise: Reviewing Life.
Note: If you have questions or comments about these exercises, please send email to or call Steve Randall at 510-303-1035.
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