The Cultivated Life Evaluation is a staple of the PowerSheets® Prep Work. Known by some as a life audit, it offers the opportunity to check in on the health of your growing ground at the start of each new season. What has been growing well in eight key areas of your life? Where might you need more nourishment? In the garden, a key to growth is healthy soil, and it's the same with growing good things in our lives! The CLE is a chance to check in on the health of your soil.
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! :)
To help you make sure you're addressing the breadth of your life, we've offered up eight areas to consider in your goal planner. Of course, you can always feel free to customize, cross out, or add to our suggestions—consider them a starting place for what might matter in your life!
If you're new to PowerSheets, here's a brief overview of the eight categories and what you might consider for each!
8 Categories for a Life Evaluation
Finances
In the Finances category, you might consider your spending patterns, the amount of money you have saved relative to your goals, and any debt you might be working to pay down. How are you feeling about the role of money in your life? Is it a cause of stress and anxiety, is it something you avoid thinking about, or is it an area where you feel confident? Generosity and giving is another aspect of Finances to consider in this category.
Community
This category is particularly flexible! You might use it to consider the health of your relationships in your neighborhood, your friendships, or a specific community (your run club, your church small group, your preschool parent pick-up cohort). What investments in these relationships have paid off? What seems to be missing?
Health + Wellness
The health of your mind, body, and soul are all up for grabs in this category! You might consider how well you've been sticking to fitness goals, dream about changes you'd like to make in fueling your body, or reflect on your habits of rest and self-care.
Fun + Recreation
What do you do for fun? Do you make space in your schedule for things that bring you joy? Do you have the supplies and space that you need? What hobbies do you regularly participate in, or what new activities might you like to try? Evaluate the role of crafting, outdoor activities, reading, gaming, traveling, or anything else that brings you joy in this category.
Home + Spaces
Our personal spaces are the foundation for all of our other goals, because they're where many of our action steps take place. In this category, evaluate your home: does it match your style? Is it fulfilling your or your family's needs? Do you dream of making changes in the year ahead? You can also consider other spaces—your office at work, the coffee shop where you log hours, even digital spaces—to see whether they're serving you well in this season.
Family
What have been the highlights and pain points of your family life in the last year? Your relationships with your spouse and children, if applicable, definitely fall in this category, but also your parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, and other loved ones. What has been going well, what has been hard, and what might you like to change in the future?
Spiritual + Personal Growth
Whether you ascribe to a certain faith or are simply working on cultivating certain character traits, this category gives you space to note progress and areas you hope to improve. If you'd like to attend counseling or have trauma to heal from, you can also mark that here.
Work + Learning
Use this category to evaluate your job, your education, or anything else that you consider your vocation in this season. Are there accomplishments you can celebrate? Achievements, promotions, or a new role you have in sight? A degree you might like to pursue? Habits you want to cultivate? Note them here.
Whether you mark each category high or low in your PowerSheets, the Cultivated Life Evaluation is simply a starting point. It's part of the fact-finding mission that is uncovering what matters, and we hope it helps you think about what a well-rounded life means to you!
We'd love to hear: What is your favorite part of the PowerSheets Prep Work? Have you ever customized the CLE to fit your unique season? Tell us below!
Emily Thomas
This is His Year: our first-of-its-kind workbook to let your faith inform the goals you set for the New Year.
Set, plan, and track progress toward the goals that matter most, big or small, the things you’ve always wanted to do—with PowerSheets!