Written by Chris Harley, Mental Health Specialist
Chris Harley is passionate about improving the lives of others through his work and enjoys sharing advice around mental health practices.
Life isn’t always going to be a smooth ride, and the fact that 1 in 8 people face mental health issues is a sure sign of that. However, every day presents an opportunity for growth.
When your world feels more chaotic than cheerful, and you’ve lost sight of what makes each day such a joy, it’s time for a life audit.
Designed to inspire growth and encourage positive change, this wellness technique is one we’d recommend for anyone looking for a shift in their life.
What is a life audit?
A life audit is an assessment of each aspect of your life, from work and finances to relationships and life goals. It provides a chance to reflect on what makes you happy and what’s been draining your energy, as well as guiding you to take action to improve your circumstances. Once completed, you should have a clear idea of what you want from life and how to spend more time focusing on the things you love.
If you’re part of the MindTools community, you might already be linking a life audit to our Wheel of Life tool, and there are definite overlaps between the two!
We recommend using the Wheel of Life to complement your audit, using our worksheet to gain clarity on where you are in different areas of your life.
When’s the right time for a life audit?
You can do a life audit at any time. Having said that, it’s more crucial for those who are feeling a bit out of balance or lack direction. Some signs that it’s time for an audit include:
Your daily activities aren’t aligning with your goals
You have no clear direction
You’re frequently stressed or experience low moods
You don’t have enough time to do what you love
You’re feeling dissatisfied with your life
You’re lacking motivation for your daily tasks
You’re thinking about making a big life change
We do want to note that if you’re experiencing mental health problems, it’s vital you seek professional help. We advise speaking to a trained therapist or finding a nearby mental health treatment centre.
If you’re not certain what’s wrong but you’re facing a number of issues in your life, co-occurring disorder treatment could be an option to look into. In the meantime, a life audit is a great way to analyse your situation and is a wonderful tool to use alongside professional treatment.
What are the benefits of a life audit?
An overriding benefit of life auditing is clarity. By reflecting on your current circumstances and what you’d like your life to look like, you can become clearer about what needs to change and how you’ll achieve your goals.
If you’re feeling lost, unhappy, or unbalanced, you’ll be better able to pinpoint where your negative feelings are coming from. You’ll also discover what true joy means for you, regardless of societal expectations. Gain control, prioritise your goals, and create a life you love.
Top tips for a successful life audit
Before getting into how to audit your life, here are some important top tips that’ll ensure the success of your exercise:
Find a quiet, private space
Don’t add any time constraints (it takes as long as it takes!)
Open yourself up to unadulterated honesty
Get your thoughts down on paper (you can’t properly audit your life in your head)
How to audit your life
Now it’s time to get started! Here are the key steps that’ll guide you through a life audit, helping you gain clarity about the life you want to live.
Rate your life
Your first task is to rate every aspect of your life, using a scale of 1-10 based on how satisfied and nourished you are. To get started, we recommend rating your:
Current career
Financial situation
Family life
Romantic relationships
Friendships
Mental health
Physical health
Hobbies
Personal growth and education
Home
Travel and adventure
If you feel you’re getting everything you need from an area of your life, it’ll be marked with a 10 – no room for improvement! If an area is actively draining you, leading to stress, low moods, and the derailment of your goals, it’ll be given a 1.
You must be completely honest with yourself here, which is why we suggest doing your audit on your own. You don’t want the judgement of others to affect your ratings.
Identify your dream life
Imagine yourself a year or two from now. What would your dream life look like? This is when it’s vital to drop all societal beliefs or anything that you want to do to impress others. Your life audit is a judgement-free zone, so be totally honest with yourself.
If you’re struggling, go back over each aspect in the above section and write down what your dream scenario for each would be.
Skip any that aren’t relevant to your happiness, like travel or romance, and focus on what makes you feel excited about the possibilities your future holds.
Get rid of limiting beliefs
Limiting beliefs are those that keep your dreams pushed to the bottom of your priority list. For example, you might think you don’t have enough money to travel the world for a year, even though it’s what you desperately want to do.
Get rid of that negativity! Instead, reframe it into a challenge that you’re looking to overcome, researching how other people manage long-term travel and exploring options that are possible for you (e.g., remote work or using savings).
Reframe your life to suit your dreams
Now, it’s time to make some real changes. Look at the areas of your life where satisfaction is really low and work out how you’re going to bring your score up.
For example, if you’ve discovered your job doesn’t bring you much joy, it’s time to seriously act on beginning a career change.
Create actionable stepping stones that’ll ensure you achieve your goals, too. If you want to create a wider social circle, look into local classes, plan events that welcome plus 1s, or pick up some books focusing on how to put yourself out there and meet new people.
Let go of what doesn’t serve you
If you see anything on your life audit that really isn’t working for you, it’s time to let it go. This can be difficult but it’s crucial you’re honest with yourself if you want to see real change.
If you’ve been trying for some time to make a job, a relationship, or a hobby work and it’s just causing you more stress, it may be that it no longer has a place in your dream life. However, if you find the stress worth it, or the pros outweigh the cons, look instead at how you can reduce the negative effects.
Final words
If you’re feeling lost or you want to live your best life, a life audit is a smart idea. Hopefully, these tips have given you the guidance you need to start your own. Who knows, this could be the beginning of a whole new life journey!
Read more from Chris Harley
Chris Harley, Mental Health Specialist
Chris has a background in clinical psychology. When Chris isn't researching the latest holistic and wellbeing therapies, he's spending time with his two cats, usually curled up on the sofa and reading a murder mystery book.
