7 Insightful Frameworks to Analyze Your Life

As you begin planning for 2021, it’s helpful to have a framework. A framework offers a structure that helps you think about and organize your life and well-being as a whole.

But what are some options for wellness frameworks that can help you get 2021 off on the right foot? I’ve outlined seven of my favorite frameworks to help you analyze your life.

Frameworks to Empower You in 2021

Whether you get your framework from a book, life coach, or website, there are plenty of choices that can help you organize your life. These options are worth checking out.

Power of Full Engagement

The Power of Full Engagement was one of the most impactful books I’ve read about managing energy and wellness. 

In the book, the authors show that in order to be your most productive, you need to have optimal energy in the following four areas of your life:

• Physical
• Emotional
• Spiritual
• Mental

When you are drained in one area, you won’t be at your best. If you are someone who constantly thinks, “I don’t have enough time,” start with this book as there are useful worksheets and tips to help to increase your energy and productivity.

Blue Zones of Happiness 

In the Blue Zones of Happiness, Dan Buettner studies happiness through decades of global research. He notes that in the areas of the world with the happiest people, they focus their attention on the following three areas: 

• Pleasure – awe, fun, and joy in your life
• Purpose – using your talents in pursuit of a meaningful goal
• Pride – something significant that gives you a rewarding sense of accomplishment 

Below is a list of some of the quiz questions in the book (which I highly recommend). You can also take the online quiz for free. Additionally, the book provides a step-by-step framework that you can use to increase your overall happiness by focusing on one (or all) of these areas of your life. 

The Living Compass

The Living Compass is a framework I came across through the Episcopal Church. It is not overly religious, but it does have a Christian spirituality component to it. 

There are four main areas of wellness identified by the Living Compass. Each one has two subparts. These include:

• Heart 
  • Relationships – healthy connections with others 
  • Emotions – process and express emotions in a healthy way
• Mind
  • Vocation – work, volunteer service, and educational service
  • Organization – keep track and make good use of possessions, money, and time
• Strength
  • Resilience – deal positively with adversity
  • Care for the Body – build healthy habits for the body
• Soul
  • Spirituality – strong personal faith, meaningful purpose in life
  • Rest & Play – balance work with a plan to renew oneself 

You can take the Living Compass Assessment on their website. 

Oprah

I was fortunate to attend Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus tour earlier this year. In her workbook materials, she advises that you focus on three of the following seven areas of  wellness (which she categorizes as mind, body, spirit) in any given year:

• Emotions
• Learning
• Work
• Nutrition
• Movement
• Purpose 
• Relationships

To determine which areas to focus on, start by assessing where you are weakest.

Tony Robbins’ Wheel of Life 

Tony Robbins offers the “Wheel of Life” assessment for free on his site with sets of questions centered around the following:

• Physical health 
• Mental and emotional health
• Intimate relationships
• Productivity/goals
• Happiness in work/career 
• Finances 
• Purpose/ability to contribute to society. 

While the tool is free, ultimately you will be directed to a sales page devoted to one of Tony’s products aimed at helping you succeed in one or more of these areas. If you are a Tony Robbins fan, this may be a good place to start. 

Life Balance Worksheets

University websites are wonderful places to find life-balance worksheets. Here are two great options:

Assess Your Life Balance Quiz

If you are looking for a simple worksheet to assess your overall balance in life, this one has a good mix of questions. The components are:

• Immediate coping skills – how good you are at coping with stress
• Pleasurable joys – spending time on hobbies
• Physical Nourishment – eating, exercising, sleeping
• Emotional Well-being – setting limits, worries, emotions
• Social connection – friends, family, volunteering
• Lifelong foundations – work, finances, self-reflection/meditation

Wheel Worksheet Plus Quiz

This wheel worksheet plus quiz from the University of California, Irvine incorporates many of the concepts above in a printable worksheet.

The primary areas of focus for this quiz are:

• Spiritual
• Physical
• Financial
• Intellectual
• Emotional
• Social

The Bottom Line

Analyzing and improving your life isn’t rocket science. There is a lot of overlap (based on years of research) in each of the frameworks outlined above.  

The question is, is there a style that fits you best? Do you like broader categories or more specific actions? Online quizzes, books, or paper worksheets?

As you prepare for 2021, find one or two of the frameworks above to assess what aspects of your life you most want to focus on next year. If you haven’t read Power of Full Engagement or Blue Zones of Happiness, these are great places to start. 

Let us know which framework is your favorite!