I'm going to explain how I identify my life projects—and turn them into focused, achievable charters.
Why does this matter?
Well, without clear priorities, even the best tools won’t help. If you dont know where you are going? and you haven’t defined the path. Then you will never get there. You will forever roam.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re working hard but not moving forward, this is the missing link: choosing the right goals to begin with.
Unfortunately, most people rush into execution—buying courses, setting resolutions, or building routines—without ever stepping back to ask: Is this the right thing to build my life around? What should i stop doing? What is going to slow me down?
This week’s newsletter is about pressing pause, zooming out, and picking your next chapter with intent.
Why Most People Struggle With This
1. They never slow down long enough to reflect. Busy routines keep them reactive, not strategic.
2. They confuse urgency with importance. What screams the loudest wins—not what matters most.
3. They don't have a system to evaluate life priorities. So they make ad-hoc decisions that lead to burnout or drift.
4. They wait for clarity to appear. Instead of creating clarity through structured thinking.
5. They feel guilty putting themselves first. Especially mid-career professionals with family and financial obligations.
Here’s how to overcome all of this…
The Breakdown (Step-by-Step Framework)
Step 1: Map Your Current Life with the Wheel of Life
Why it matters:
You can’t improve what you haven’t measured. The Wheel gives you a full-picture snapshot of where your life feels aligned—and where it doesn’t.
How to use it:
Draw a circle with 8–10 slices: Career, Finance, Health, Relationships, Personal Growth, Recreation, Contribution, etc.
Score your satisfaction in each area from 1–10.
Shade each area accordingly.
Outcome:
You’ll clearly see where you’re thriving—and where your attention is urgently needed. Focus on your bottom 2–3 scores. These become the shortlist of domains to meaningfully improve in the next 1–2 years. You cannot work on everything at once. Pick 2–3 gaps you’re committed to closing.
Example of what the wheel of life template looks like
Step 2: Define the Objective for Each Chosen Gap
Why it matters:
Once you’ve identified which areas are falling short and need to focus on, the next step is to define what success looks like within that domain.
How to do it:
For each selected domain (e.g., Career), craft a clear, measurable objective that would close the gap.
Example:
Gap: Career
Objective: Get promoted so I can increase my earnings by 50% and unlock more autonomy in my work.
Prompts to define your objective:
What would "better" look like in this domain?
Why does that outcome matter to you?
What does success look like, in one sentence?
This is about clearly stating your destination before mapping the road.
Step 3: Craft a Strategy to Achieve the Objective
Why this step unlocks momentum:
Vision without a strategy is just fantasy. You now know the "what." This is the "how."
Break your objective into actionable strategic pillars:
What must happen first? (e.g., Improve communication skills)
What additional support or resources are needed? (e.g., Expand network)
What creates leverage and visibility? (e.g., Deliver projects that get noticed)
How will you stay accountable? (e.g., Actively manage performance plan with your manager)
Example Strategy for Career Objective:
Take a communications masterclass
Schedule monthly coffee catchups with senior leaders
Proactively volunteer for a high-impact initiative
Track and discuss development plan quarterly
Identify sponsors that will back you when its promotions time
These become the key levers that pull your objective into reality.
Step 4: Translate the Strategy Into a Life Project Canvas
Why it matters:
Now that you have a domain, a specific objective, and a working strategy, it’s time to formalize the work.
Use the Life Project Canvas to give structure and accountability:
Vision & Scope
Planning & Prioritisation
Execution & Ownership
Risks & Retrospectives
Important: Each logical group of objectives and strategies (e.g., Career vs. Travel) should live in separate Life Project Canvases. This ensures each one reflects its unique context, resources, timeline, and purpose. Don’t mix unrelated goals—doing so will dilute clarity and focus.
Action:
Open the template. For each of your selected domains:
Create a new project canvas for each unique area of focus
Populate it with the gap (from Step 1), the objective (from Step 2), and the strategy (from Step 3)
Now, translate all of this into the first two quadrants of each respective Life Project Canvas. You’re no longer dreaming. You’re executing with structure.
How to Get Started
Read the “Life Project Canvas” edition
Block 20 minutes this week.
Score your life. Pick your 2 weakest areas.
Write one clear objective for each.
Outline a simple strategy.
Create a separate Life Project Canvas for each distinct focus area.
Closing & Call to Action
Every great project starts with a decision: This matters enough to make space for.
Don’t let the busyness of life choose for you.
Reply with your top two life domains and your draft objective—I’ll give you direct feedback.
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