Here’s a simple diagram you can use to create balance in your life, and carve out time for what’s important
Struggling to balance study, work, friends and wellbeing? You’re not alone. Check out this time management hack from Martina “Mia” Go, who’s juggling a double degree in IT and arts at Monash University. The good news is that focusing your energy can be as easy as drawing a diagram!
“I like to map out sections of my life and things that I really enjoy. If I’m not giving as much time to, let’s say, my family as I want to, then I’ll create opportunities to nourish that,” says Mia. “I’m always a big believer in making time for things that you love, or things that you care about.”
Mia says she starts with a circle and divides it into four quadrants. Then, she labels each quadrant with what matters most to her. In Mia’s case, it’s family, friends, dance and mental health.
Next, Mia marks a dot to indicate how much time and energy she’s actually putting into each area. The closer to the centre of the circle, the less time she’s spending on that quadrant. While further away means more time spent in this area.
This kind of visualisation is a powerful tool for anyone! It makes it easy to check if your daily habits and time allocations match your values, and helps you spot imbalances before they lead to burnout.
“I saw it a lot in terms of video game characters,” says Mia. “When you play games, these maps are how they attribute strength and smartness and things like that. I was like: ‘I could do that for myself’!”
The best part? You can adapt it to whatever’s important to you – whether that’s study, work, sport, creative hobbies or family time.
So next time you’re feeling stretched thin, grab a pen and paper – or your iPad like Mia – and map it out!
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