Wheel of Life Coaching Tool: Step-by-Step Guide + Free Resources

Last updated on February 8, 2024

Coaching tools can improve the dynamics of sessions with clients, give you a more tangible perspective on what clients need, and provide clients with a clear overview of their current satisfaction and well-being. One of the most basic but incredibly powerful tools is the Wheel of Life coaching tool. 

What’s great about this tool is that it can be used in any coaching niche and with all clients. It is highly customizable, and it takes little time to complete, but it can be insightful for both you and your clients. Let’s get to know this tool and how it can benefit your practice.  We’ll even share some free resources that you can start using right away.

What Is the Wheel of Life Coaching Tool?

The Wheel of Life is a popular coaching tool that is commonly used in life coaching sessions as a way to get to know clients and their needs. This tool provides a visual representation of various aspects of a person’s life, and it helps the coach and clients assess and reflect on their current level of satisfaction or fulfillment in each area. The purpose of this tool is to give you a holistic view of clients’ lives and help you identify areas that need improvement.

The Wheel of Life consists of a circle divided into categories, and each category represents a different aspect of life, such as career, health, relationships, finances, personal development, and more. These categories can be adapted to your coaching approach or individual clients’ needs, but some common categories are as follows:

• Personal development – personal growth, learning, and the desire to acquire new skills or knowledge
• Finances – financial stability, budgeting, and satisfaction with the financial situation
• Career – satisfaction with the job or career path
• Health and fitness – physical and mental well-being, including exercise, nutrition, and mental health
• Family and relationships – satisfaction with family relationships, friendships, and social connections
• Spirituality – a sense of purpose, connection to a higher power, or personal beliefs
• Fun and recreation – the level of enjoyment that comes from leisure activities and hobbies
• Environment and home – satisfaction with one’s living space 
• Contribution or community – the level of satisfaction with contributions to the community or engagement in social activities
• Love – romantic relationships and satisfaction in this area

Styles of the Wheel of Life

There are two popular styles of this tool: the Pie Chart and the Spider Web Chart. Which one you’ll choose depends on personal preference and the specific goals of the coaching session. 

Pie Chart Style

The Pie Chart style represents the Wheel of Life as a circle divided into segments resembling a pie. Each segment corresponds to a specific life category, such as career, relationships, health, etc.

How it works: The client rates their satisfaction in each category on a numerical scale, and the scores are marked as points along the circumference of each segment. Connecting these points forms a pattern that looks like a pie chart.

Advantages: It provides a clear and easy-to-understand visual representation. The size of each segment corresponds to the level of satisfaction in that area.

Spider Web (Radar) Chart Style

The Spider Web style is designed so that each life category radiates outward from a central point. The categories are represented by lines, and the distance from the center indicates the level of satisfaction.

How it works: The process is similar to the Pie Chart, as clients rate their satisfaction in each category, and the scores are marked along the corresponding lines. The resulting pattern resembles a spider web and provides a visual representation of life balance.

Advantages: It allows for a quick comparison of satisfaction levels across categories. A well-balanced life forms a more symmetrical web.

Benefits of Using a Wheel of Life in Coaching

The Wheel of Life is an essential tool and can especially be useful in the introductory phase of a coaching session or program, as it allows you to instantly get a better sense of clients’ challenges and goals. Here is a quick overview of other benefits of this coaching tool:

• Adaptable to client’s unique needs and goals and different coaching niches
• Helps you look at the client’s life as a whole and learn about their satisfaction with different areas 
• Identifies areas that need improvement, which makes it easier to set specific and achievable goals
• Shows clients which aspects of their lives need improvement and better balance
• Promotes self-awareness by reflecting on your values and priorities
• Acts as a visual aid for better communication between you and your clients
• Inspires clients to take action and make positive changes, with regular check-ins to track progress
• Keeps clients accountable for the changes they want to make

How To Use the Wheel of Life in Coaching: Step-by-Step Guide

If you’d like to put the Wheel of Life into practice in your coaching sessions, here are a couple of tips to get started:

1. Introduce the tool – Begin by explaining the purpose of the Wheel of Life. Explain that it’s a visual tool to assess different life areas and identify areas for improvement.
2. Identify categories – Discuss and agree on the specific categories that will be included in the wheel. Customize them based on the client’s priorities and goals.
3. Rate each category – Ask the client to rate their satisfaction or fulfillment in each category on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. They mark a point on each section of the wheel according to their satisfaction level. (If possible, ask the client to print out the wheel and fill it out with a pen. Being away from the screen helps with being more present and focused.)
4. Connect the dots and start a discussion – After rating each category, connect the dots to create a visual representation of the Wheel of Life. Discuss the resulting pattern and what it reveals about the individual’s life balance. Here are some questions that you can ask to deepen the discussion:
   • How do you feel about the overall balance reflected in your Wheel of Life?
   • Are there any surprises or insights from looking at the completed wheel?
   • Based on the Wheel of Life, what specific, measurable goals would you like to set for each priority area?
   • What potential obstacles or challenges do you foresee in achieving these goals?
   • How can I, as your coach, best support you on this journey?
   • What milestones are important for you to acknowledge and appreciate?
   • Do the areas you’ve identified align with your core values and life priorities?
   • What have you learned about yourself through this process?
   • How can this newfound awareness contribute to your personal growth?
5. Identify priority areas – Based on your discussion with the client and their results, identify areas with lower satisfaction scores or those that are important for the individual’s overall well-being. These will become the focus areas for improvement.
6. Set SMART goals – Work together to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for each priority area. These goals should be realistic and aligned with the client’s values.
7. Create action plans – Develop action plans for each goal. Discuss the steps and milestones needed to achieve these goals, potential obstacles, and strategies to overcome them.
8. Discuss resources and support – Explore resources and support systems to help the client. This may involve discussing how you can provide guidance and encouragement.
9. Schedule regular check-ins – Set a schedule for regular check-ins to review progress, adjust goals if necessary, and celebrate achievements. Later on, you can also ask them to fill in the Wheel of Life again so they can witness the improvement. 
10. Conclude the session – Conclude the coaching session by summarizing the goals, action plans, and the individual’s commitment to making positive changes. 

Wheel of Life Coaching Tools

The Wheel of Life is such a simple tool to craft that you can draw it on your own. However, an even easier way to get your hands on this tool is to download it online, brand it, and print it out for your clients. 

You can also share a link to clients to an online assessment or give them access to an app. Here are a few Wheel of Coaching tools in printable, online, and app format that you can instantly get access to for free:

Printable Wheel of Life 

• The Coaching Tools Company – This is our top pick since the tool is free and completely brandable to reflect your coaching style. It comes with instructions and an example, so it will be super easy for clients to get the hang of it. 
• Life Coach Training Institute – Here’s another pie chart Wheel of Life downloadable to print, and it’s available in PDF. (The Life Coach Training Institute is also worth checking out for certification.)
• Mindful Coaching Tools – You can download two different styles of the Wheel of Life in PDF, Illustrator, and Canva formats.

Online Wheel of Life

• The Wheel of Life Interactive Assessment – If you prefer that your clients do the exercise online, you can use this free resource.
• Wheel of Life – This online assessment can be customized, which is perfect if you want to assess clients’ balance solely related to their career, education, or relationship. 
• UpCoach – Upcoach is an amazing all-in-one management platform for coaches, and they offer this Wheel of Life online tool at no charge.

App Wheel of Life

• Coachology (Android) – You can share this free app with your clients and they can keep track of their progress.
• LifeWheel (IOS) – Clients can use this app independently and discuss their results with you during the sessions.
• Life Wheel and Life Goals (Android) – This is another option for Android users, where clients can continually use the Wheel of Life app and set their milestones and goals with your assistance.

Conclusion

It can be difficult for some clients to instantly open up. Some aren’t even aware of what they need to work on or how content or discontent they are with different areas of life. This is why the Wheel of Life is such a powerful tool. 

The Wheel of Life can reach those subconscious levels of clients’ minds and encourage them to reflect on their satisfaction. It is also a great indicator of how balanced clients’ lives are, all of which can help you design a personalized path toward improved quality of life. Considering that you can get access to this tool for free, you have nothing to lose. While there are many versions of it, our favorite is The Coaching Tools Company since you can brand it and make it your own.

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