How to Set Goals for a Balanced Life Across 6 Key Areas

Jump To: What Are Goals for a Balanced Life? | 6 Key Life Categories | Quick Balance Exercise | Example |Balanced Life Goals Checklist | Success Lesson | Daily/Weekly Actions | Q&A |Download eBook

The 6 Key Life Categories for Balanced Goals

Earlier in the Goal Setting for Success course, you identified what you truly want in life. Now it’s time to bring that vision down to earth by organizing it into six key life categories.

These six areas give you a simple structure for creating balanced life goals:

1. Physical Body Goals
2. Spiritual Goals
3. Family Goals
4. Friends Goals
5. Financial Goals
6. Professional Goals

Each category represents an essential part of a healthy, fulfilling life. When one area is consistently ignored, the others will eventually suffer.

Let’s look at each category more closely, with examples you can adapt to your own situation.

Physical Body Goals

Your physical body is your engine. Without your health, it’s difficult to enjoy your success or serve others effectively.

Examples of physical body goals:

• “Walk 30 minutes, 5 days a week.”
• “Go to bed by 10:30 p.m. on weeknights.”
• “Drink water instead of sugary drinks during the workday.”

Balanced life perspective:

When you make physical body goals part of your plan, you increase your energy, sharpen your thinking, and show up as a stronger leader for the people who depend on you.

Spiritual Goals

Spiritual goals relate to your inner life - your values, beliefs, sense of purpose, and connection to something greater than yourself.

Examples of spiritual goals:

•  “Spend 10 minutes each morning in quiet reflection, prayer, or meditation.”
• “Read one inspirational or spiritual book each month.”
• “Volunteer once a month in a cause that matters to me.”

Balanced life perspective:

Spiritual goals keep you grounded. They help you stay centered when life and business get busy, and they remind you why your goals matter in the first place.

Family Goals

Family goals focus on the people closest to you - your partner, children, parents, or other loved ones you consider “family.”

Examples of family goals:

• “Plan one family activity every Sunday afternoon.”
• “Have a weekly date night with my spouse or partner.”
• “Call or visit my parents once a week.”

Balanced life perspective: 

As responsibilities grow, it’s easy for family time to shrink. Family goals ensure the people you care about most are not getting your leftovers, but instead the best of who you are.

Friends Goals

Friends are a vital part of a balanced life. Strong friendships support you, encourage you, and bring joy to your journey.

Examples of friends goals:

• “Schedule one coffee or lunch each week with a friend.”
• “Reconnect with one old friend this month.”
• “Join a group or community that shares one of my interests.”

Balanced life perspective:

Leaders and solopreneurs often isolate themselves without realizing it. Friends goals keep your relationships strong and your perspective healthy.

Financial Goals

Financial goals are about how you earn, save, give, and manage money. When your finances are out of control, every other area feels pressure.

Examples of financial goals:

• “Save $200 per month in an emergency fund.”
• “Create and follow a simple monthly budget.”
• “Pay an extra $100 per month toward debt.”

Balanced life perspective:

Financial goals for a balanced life aren’t just about making more - they’re about using money wisely so it supports your priorities, rather than controlling them.

Professional Goals

Professional goals cover your career, business, and leadership development. These are often the easiest goals to define—and the ones that can crowd out everything else if you’re not careful.

Examples of professional goals:

• “Complete one leadership or business course this quarter.”
• “Improve team communication by holding a weekly check-in meeting.”
• “Increase revenue by 10% over the next 12 months with a specific plan.”

Balanced life perspective:

Professional goals matter, but they’re only one part of a great life. Balanced life goals help you grow professionally without sacrificing your health, relationships, or peace of mind.

Quick Balance Snapshot Exercise

Now that you’ve seen the six key life categories, it’s time to take a quick “snapshot” of your current life balance.

Step 1: Rate each life category

On a scale from 1–10, rate your satisfaction in each area today (1 = very dissatisfied, 10 = fully satisfied):

• Physical Body: ____ /10
• Spiritual: ____ /10
• Family: ____ /10
• Friends: ____ /10
• Financial: ____ /10
• Professional: ____ /10

Be honest with yourself. No one else has to see these numbers.

Step 2: Spot your imbalances

Look at your ratings. Which one or two categories have the lowest scores? Circle them. These are the areas where your life is most out of balance right now.

Step 3: Write one balanced life goal for each low area

For each circled category, write one clear, specific goal you can start working on this week. Keep it simple and realistic.

For example:

• “Physical Body: Walk 20 minutes three times this week.”
• “Friends: Call one friend and schedule a get-together.”

Remember, research and experience both tell us this: the more clearly defined your goals are, the more likely you are to take action on them daily. That’s why balanced life goals work best when you break them into small, bite-sized action steps you can actually follow through on.

Example: An Unbalanced vs. Balanced Life

Imagine a small business owner who rates their life categories like this:

• Physical Body: 4
• Spiritual: 5
• Family: 6
• Friends: 3
• Financial: 8
• Professional: 9

On paper, their work and income look strong. But their health and friendships are suffering. This is a common pattern for ambitious people.

Balanced life goals for this person might include:

• Physical Body: “Walk 30 minutes after work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”
• Friends: “Schedule one social activity every Saturday morning.”

Notice that we’re not asking them to abandon their professional goals. We’re simply helping them create balanced life goals so they can enjoy their success - without burning out or damaging important relationships.

Balanced Life Goals Checklist

Use this quick checklist to make sure you’re setting goals for a balanced life:

• I’ve identified my six key life categories.
• I’ve rated each category and spotted where I’m out of balance.
• I’ve written at least one clear, specific goal for my lowest-scoring areas.
• I’ve broken those goals into small action steps I can start this week.
• I have a simple habit for reviewing and adjusting my goals regularly.

If you can check off each of these, you’re already ahead of most people - and well on your way to achieving goals for a balanced life.

"In life, as in football, you won't go far unless you know where the goal posts are."

- Arnold H. Glasgow

Success Lesson #3: Continuous Improvement Always!

Did you know your motivation often rises when you can see steady progress in each key area of your life? Goal setting always sounds great in theory - but when it comes down to creating a plan and taking action, most people lose momentum.

As a leader, your job isn’t to fix everything overnight. Your job is to keep moving in the right direction, a little bit at a time. That’s the power of continuous improvement.

Continuous improvement means:

• Regularly reviewing your goals for a balanced life.
• Looking for small ways to improve each key area.
• Taking consistent action, even when you don’t feel like it.

This habit of always improving things - not just at work, but in your health, relationships, finances, and spiritual life - is contagious. People notice. They see you growing, adjusting, and staying committed. And they’re inspired to do the same.

1) Review Your Life Categories Weekly

Set aside 10–15 minutes once a week to review your six life categories:

• Physical Body
• Spiritual
• Family
• Friends
• Financial
• Professional

Ask yourself:

• “What went well in this area last week?”
• “Where did I struggle or feel stressed?”
• “What is one small improvement I can make this week?”

2) Choose One Small Improvement Per Week

You don’t have to improve every area at once. In fact, trying to do that usually leads to frustration.

Instead:

• Pick one or two categories that need the most attention.
• Choose one small, specific improvement for each.

Examples:

• Physical Body: “Add one extra glass of water each day.”
• Family: “Plan one family dinner with no phones at the table.”
• Professional: “Spend 15 minutes planning tomorrow before leaving work.”

3) Reflect and Adjust (Without Beating Yourself Up)

At the end of the week, ask:

• “Did I follow through on my small improvements?”
• “What did I learn about myself?”
• “What needs to change next week?”

If you missed some goals, don’t use that as a reason to quit. Simply adjust. Continuous improvement is not about perfection - it’s about progress.

As you apply this Success Lesson, you’ll find that your goals for a balanced life become more natural. You’ll start to think in terms of small improvements instead of all-or-nothing changes. That’s when real, lasting growth happens.