How do you slice your pie?
Consider your life as if it were a pie. How do you slice it?
As a graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder, Dr. Lorri Shepard asked me to think of my life as a pie and then asked how many ways I sliced it.
I repeatedly return to this metaphor with clients when their work and lives feel hectic and out of control. I ask them to think through how they spend their hours and how much time is devoted to what? Then I ask them to consider what is important to them.
Imagining our lives as a pie offers a visual and practical framework for assessing balance and priorities. By dividing a pie into slices representing key components of our lives—career, family, friends, sleep, health, physical activity, money, resources, recreation, and personal growth—we gain clarity on where we invest our time and energy. This perspective encourages reflection on whether each slice is proportionate to our values and goals. It also highlights areas that may need adjustment to foster well-being and fulfillment. Using this metaphor, individuals and organizations can make better-informed decisions to realign their focus, ensuring a more harmonious and sustainable approach to managing change, transition, and challenge.
The pie chart above shows typical life components in complete balance. Is your life like this?
Mine’s not! If I’m being honest with myself, my pie looks more like this.
Your pie slices might have different names, but how you slice them matters to you and those close to you.
How much time do you spend on each aspect of your life each week, month, or year?
How do you proportion your time?
Remember: as you increase the percentage of time you spend on one life component, you must decrease the time devoted to others.
Reflecting honestly on how we spend time reveals what we value. It helps us make more informed decisions about whether each component of our lives receives the attention it deserves.
Could you benefit from doing this exercise? Do you know someone else who could benefit from it?
Do you need help reflecting on how you slice your pie or realigning your time with your values? Comment, DM me on LinkedIn, or contact me on my website: www.debrahollowayphd.com/contact. I look forward to hearing from you.