This sample Life Grid Shows the Projected Percentage of time spent in each of several areas or life buckets

Life Bucket

My Goals

Actual Hours Spent Eachweek

Diffrence

Career Family Family / Recreation Reflection Health/ sleep Fun/recreation/ reading

Social responsiblity/ making a difference

50 hours ( 30% ) 28 hours ( 17% ) 11 hours ( 7% )

Regardless of whether you balance your time week-to-week or over a month, make sure that you hold yourself accountable, by using a grid such as this one that allows you to track your commitments over time. Unless you measure how you spend your time, you cannot make meaningful changes that will positively impact the quality of your life and. by extension, your leadership You may find that where you spend your time matches your goals and priorities. Or, if you're like the rest of us, you may find some startling results, such as career representing more than 50 percent of your time, with much smaller percentages for the other buckets. An empty life bucket is not a reason to despair. It just means you are out of balance, and if you are completely honest with yourself, this probably will not come as much of a surprise. Face it: left to our own devices, most of us will have the biggest amount of hours far more than forty a week in the work bucket. Although career is very important, it doesn't have to obliterate everything else. The principle of balance helps you remain committed to working both hard and smart, conscious of how you are spending your time in all facets of your life. Otherwise, you will fall into the weekend trap: spending most of Saturday and Sunday at the office instead of devoting time to other buckets, such as family and fun.

55 hours ( 32 % )

14 hours ( 8% )

10 hours ( 6% )

168 hours ( 100% )