Last week we explored the process of conducting a life audit and its resultant benefits. This week we explore the areas of work, finances and time and Productivity.

1) Work

When I did my first life audit at twenty nine, I was an out of work housewife who was entering into a divorce. Nearing thirty I was increasingly Career driven and even although I knew I needed a job, in truth I wanted to build a career. Like anyone conducting a life audit, I had to realise the incongruity between where I was and where I wanted to be. I therefore scored my work life at a zero out of ten.

I set about brainstorming possible career paths and came up with several options. I would later choose the most engaging option from my list, and begin moulding my career aspirations into a tangible, step by step goal.

2) Finances

As I was out of work my finances were non-existent. Although I wasn’t in debt, I needed to earn a respectable salary to be financially independent. It may be uncomfortable to assess your finances but looking at your bank statement, loans and savings is a must in order to accurately ascertain your financial health. Due to my complete lack of income I scored my finances at a zero out of ten.

With a calculator, pen and paper note down what your monthly expenses are. Once you know your expenses, calculate what the minimum salary would be to cover your expenses (including your paying off any debt).

Then calculate what your maximum earnings could be, given the type of career you are in or want to pursue. You now have the foundations to create an in-depth two year, month by month financial plan (for both your minimum and maximum potential earnings) which will work alongside your career goals.

3) Time and Productivity

When it came time to evaluate my time and productivity I asked myself:

• Do I ever simply do nothing?
• Could I wake up earlier and get more things done?
• How often do I complete what I set out to do?
• How often do I procrastinate?
• Am I ever late for appointments or deadlines?
• Could I use my time better, like being productive rather than watching TV?

After answering these questions I scored my time and productivity at a four out of ten.

To find out how to use my time more wisely I bought Stephen R Covey’s book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ – a highly informative read with a superb section on time management. If you decide you need to improve your time management and productivity please read ‘Personal Productivity – How to Achieve in Record-Breaking Time’.

Stay tuned – next week we’ll explore the areas of body and health, hobbies and interests and relaxation.

How could you improve your work life? Are you where you want to be in your finances? Do you think you manage your time well? Please share your thoughts in the comments below to gain encouragement, insight and support from our community, we’d love to hear from you.

Exercises:

1. Score your work life out of 10, with 1 being poor and 10 being amazing. Brainstorm and write down what would make your score a 10 out of 10.
2. Score your finances out of 10, with 1 being poor and 10 being amazing. Brainstorm and write down what would make your score a 10 out of 10.
3. Score your time and productivity out of 10, with 1 being poor and 10 being amazing. Brainstorm and write down what would make your score a 10 out of 10.