This simple chart helps you see what you should focus on next

Do you ever feel frustrated about all the things you want to do, knowing there won’t be enough time to get them all done? Or, while you are dedicating your precious time to one aspect of your life, you get that nagging feeling that you are neglecting another, more critical area?

In my role as a Scrum Master, I help teams within companies improve their performance over time. The process involves conducting retrospectives, sessions in which team members openly and honestly evaluate their performance over the past time frame. I’ve been inspired to conduct retrospectives for my own personal development, too.

I’ve shared one of my favorite self-reflection formats: Liked, Lacked & Learned. Recently, I experimented with a new format. It worked so well for me that I couldn’t wait to share it with you. I call it “Roles on the Radar,” and it can help you choose where to invest your limited time and energy.

Chart by the author

Getting started

List all the roles you currently play. It can be in your personal or professional life, as long as these roles are relevant to you at this moment. Your roles might be: parent, spouse, friend, sports coach, musician, support agent, colleague, and neighbor.

Take a sheet of paper and draw a radar chart. Make sure you have as many axes as roles listed in the previous step. List your roles at the end of each axis, one per axis.

Rate yourself

Score yourself on each of your roles. This is a relative score. You put a mark on the far end of an axis if everything is going perfectly for you. If you are extremely unhappy about how you’re performing in this role, you put a mark near the center of the chart. If it’s 50/50, you put a mark halfway along the axis. You get the idea. Complete the radar chart for all your roles. Be honest with yourself without judgment so you get the most out of this exercise.

Connecting the dots

Connect the marks on the axis and fill the inner area of the radar chart. The filled area symbolizes your achievements so far in each of your roles. You’ll notice that you may be doing quite well in some roles. Take a moment to take credit for that. We often forget to acknowledge ourselves for what we have already achieved.

Now examine the unfilled outer area of the radar chart. This represents your potential. Roles will stand out where you see room for improvement.

Start investing

Decide which roles to focus on to make the next step. This will depend very much on your personal situation and the areas you feel the greatest urgency to invest in next. For each of these roles, come up with a list of concrete actions that could make a positive impact. Make these items actionable and small, so you know what to do and feel comfortable that they can be completed within one or two days. Set an upcoming time frame and choose a limited set of actions that you are going to implement in that period.

In my latest retrospectives, I scored high as a “homeowner” because my DIY kitchen renovation went very well. My “writer” score was an all-time low because I hadn’t written for months. That was okay because it was a deliberate choice to spend so much time on this renovation project. (By the way, I’m happily writing this post in our new kitchen.)

A few tips

• Really dare to make choices. If you don’t choose, you spread your attention and energy over too many roles and actions, and you’ll get less done. Be kind to yourself by being realistic.
• It’s easy to forget your planned actions once your personal retrospective is over and the daily routine kicks in. Create triggers for yourself as reminders. Some ideas: sticky notes on the fridge or on a mirror, appointments in your calendar, an inspiring background image on your mobile phone, etc. You could even incorporate it into your computer password. Imagine being reminded every time you have to log in, that would be hard to miss, right?
• Experiment by formulating your improvement actions as if/then rules: If <some event occurs> then <I will do this>. Our brains are sensitive to this kind of programming.
• Regularly take some time to reflect on your progress and adjust your plans accordingly. Life is hectic, and things will change, so you want to be able to deal with new information. For my own personal retrospective, I have scheduled a weekly appointment with myself on Sunday mornings, which works fine for me. The time and frequency that work best for you are things you will need to find out for yourself.
• If you are looking for a simple, effective way to manage your actions, here’s a suggestion for a better to-do list.

While you’ll never be able to do all the things, with the Roles on the Radar exercise, you’ll know you’re focusing on the right things.