A Simple Audit for Your Work Life

For many of us, work takes up a large part of our days—but intentional living doesn't stop when work begins! We believe that your work and your life can both flourish. To keep the two in balance, it's worth taking the time to periodically pause and thoughtfully evaluate how it's going.

Inspired by the PowerSheets® Cultivated Life Evaluation, we've developed a Cultivated Work Evaluation to help you check in on each area of your work life. What has been growing well? What might need more attention or a new solution? Naming where you are now will help you know what to cultivate in the season ahead. (We recommend answering these questions each quarter, but you can, of course, do so more or less frequently!)

Just as in your PowerSheets goal planner, you'll use your Cultivated Work Evaluation to give each area of your work life a rating between 1 and 10, along with a few thoughts on why you chose that number. 1 means you are not satisfied and want to see big change. 10 means things couldn’t be better. 

Though it can be challenging or intimidating to reflect if you've had a discouraging year, naming where you are helps you cultivate what matters in the season ahead. We like to say that the areas you score lower are just greater opportunities for good things ahead!

Now, what areas are you rating? Though every career is unique, we feel the eight categories below are flexible enough to evaluate a range of jobs, from solopreneur to  entry-level new graduate, from mid-level manager to CEO. Beside each category, we’ve noted what a rating of 10 might look like.

• MEANING | I am passionate about my work and believe it has meaning and value.
• PEOPLE | I enjoy working alongside my coworkers, manager, clients, or vendors.
• RESOURCES | I have the skills, data, equipment, relationships and everything else I need to confidently and capably complete my work.
• PROCESSES | I have habits, routines, and structure in place that allow me to work efficiently and with excellence.
• SPACES | The physical place where I work helps me to give my best.
• GROWTH | I feel challenged and excited by the work I do and regularly take time to learn and grow my professional skills.
• MOMENTUM | I’m clear on my desires for advancement and happy with my career momentum.
• FLOURISHING | My work (the compensation, the schedule, the expectations) makes it possible to live the life I want to lead.

Ready? Pull out your Brain Dump Journal and start writing! In addition to assigning a numerical value, consider jotting down a few answers to the questions below for each area: 

• What wins can I celebrate?
• What feels challenging?
• Am I happy with the amount and quality of time I’m spending?
• Are my needs being met, and am I meeting the needs of others?
• Do my efforts feel purposeful and meaningful?

We believe your work is an opportunity to add value to the world and care for the people around you. We also believe work can add to your flourishing, not just complicate it. Let this simple audit for your work life illuminate what's going well and what might need to change, ultimately helping you move a little bit closer to the right balance for you. We're cheering you on!

P.S. Ready for more work and career resources? Try How to Make Progress On Your Goals When You Have a Full-Time Job and How to Free Up Time for What Matters Most.