Life Inventory Checklist: 3 Tips for a Successful New Year
Whether you read this in January or August, the same is true. Now is the perfect time to take stock of your life, enhance what is working and change or eliminate what is not working.
Each day you have an opportunity to choose the kind of life you want. You do not have control over everything, but you do have control over much more than you may realize.
When you think of starting anew you may feel trepidation that you will not keep your commitments to yourself as has been the case in the past. You also may feel that you can’t add one more ‘task’ to your list of responsibilities.
Too often people set new goals and resolutions without making necessary adjustments. They commit to new actions without making room in their lives to actually accomplish them.
Quarterly, I take an inventory of 6 different aspects of my life using the 6-Point High-Performance Life Inventory that is the foundation of the work I do with my coaching clients. The inventory will help you to determine what is working, what needs work, and then you are able to make the micro-adjustments necessary with small actionable tasks. You will feel like a success immediately in some areas while others take time.
Following are the first three points of the 6-point High-Performance Life Inventory:
Wellbeing
Self-care, healthy eating habits, and exercise routines are all part of this inventory and play a huge role in the structure of your life. Using a pen and paper, write a list of all the things that matter the most to you when it comes to your wellbeing. Next, give yourself an honest rating of 1-10 for each item on your list based on how consistently you practice good habits. In the past, drinking a healthy amount of water was not a consistent practice of mine. Some days would be spot on, while other days I would forget. My hydration was not consistent. I was able to adjust that quickly when I recognized my inconsistency. I decided to set a new pattern with the micro-action of drinking 16 oz. of water first thing in the morning. It is truly as simple as that.
Relationships
Your relationships are also a key aspect of living the life you desire. Some of your relationships are nurturing and whole, while others may feel toxic and draining. Draw a chart on a piece of paper with 10 columns and 10 rows. Head the columns with your top 10 values in life and list the names of the 10 people you spend the most time with at the far left of each row. Now go across each row and place a checkmark under any of your personal values that you have in common with that particular individual.
Now you can assess – Do your interactions with each individual align with your goals and aspirations? Do these relationships reflect how you ultimately want to be living your life? Is there someone on your list that you should distance yourself from? Are there relationships that you want to nurture?
Time
This is a BIG one! Do you control your calendar or does it control you? Are you constantly feeling like you can’t get ahead? Do you end your day exhausted? Are you showing up late and/or unprepared for appointments? Do you find yourself being short with others because you’re always in a hurry?
More often than not, (even) highly successful people overcommit themselves, do not allow ample time to complete their tasks and never give themselves a cushion in between tasks/appointments.
Using your pen and paper, make a list of your commitments- personal and professional. Are there any that you can eliminate? More than likely you can make space in your day, just by saying ‘no’ to taking on new responsibilities.
Time management is as practical as giving yourself enough time and the hyper-focus to actually complete each task with intention. Once the task is complete, give yourself a few minutes to take care of YOU (back to wellbeing). Finally, you are able to move on to the next item on your to-do list and complete it successfully! Rinse and repeat.
Your wellbeing, relationships and high-performance time management are crucial, foundational aspects of living the life you desire. Remember, when your daily routines match those of your visionary self, you are able to step into the role of who you know you are capable of being – sometimes immediately.