Your Pivot Point Strategy in the Game of Life
Here’s a simple and effective strategy to get to the most important areas of your life each week: It’s my newest life balance tool, Your Pivot Point Strategy™.
It’s based on a simplebasketball concept: The Pivot Point. On the court, when you stop with the ball in hand you have 5 seconds to plan your next move: Pass, Shoot or “Drive to the Hole.” You protect the ball & pivot on one foot while you choose when & where to deliver the ball. In the game of life, one foot is anchored in what (and who) you value most so you keep your balance while you pivot (make incremental changes)each week in one or more important areas of life: Your Physical, Mental/Intellectual & Spiritual Health, Your Family and Social Relationships & Your FinancialCareer. No need to jump in with both feet nor get cold feet and get stuck in one place. You are making small incremental changes each week which take you towardyour goals in a way that is sustainable over the long run.
The benefits are numerous: a sense of accomplishment at the end of each week, the ability to quickly refocus on what you value mostwhen life pulls you off track; consistently maintaining and improving your health; strong relationships with friends & family; steady progress in your career and financial health.
Create Your Pivot Point Strategy- A simple weekly tool that can pivot, or change,the way you lead your life in small, bite size yet powerful steps:
1.You’ll need 10 - 15 minutes on the weekend or first thing Monday a.m. to most effectively use this tool each week. Let’s start by creating Your Pivot Point Strategy Life Balance Wheel.
At the top of your 81/2” x 11” piece of paper write the following
For the week of:
Then, fill in the dates of the coming week. I like to start with Monday and end with Sunday. (i.e.: October 6 - 12, 2014) You do what works best for you.
2. Draw a circle about 4” in diameter at the top of your page, just under the dates for the week. Inside the circle draw seven spokes coming out from the centre to the outside perimeter. Number each spoke from 1-10, with one being closest to the centre and 10 on the perimeter. Label each slice with one of the following
Physical, Mental/Intellectual & Spiritual(your areas of Health)
Family & Social (your relationships)
Career & Financial
These are the 7 areas of life on your Life Balance Wheel. (see diagram)
3. Rate out of 10, with 10 being the highest, your happiness with your life in each of your seven areas. Mark each numbered line with a dot to indicate how happy you are at this moment in each of the sevenareas. The dots closest to the centre represent the areas you may want to focus on this week. Once you’ve rated each area of your life, take a few minutes to ponder this.
4. Now answer the Start of week Q:
What PIVOT STEPS AM I TAKING in the area(s) of my life I choose to focus on this week?
(Set S.S.M.A.R.T. Goals: specific, simple, measurable, action-oriented, responsible, time-based)
These are the items I will do this week no matter what comes up to pull me off course!
I recommend taking one step in one or two of the top areas in your life this week.
Where do you find these small incremental steps? I pull them from my three & six month and one year goals on my business & life plan. I also pay attention to what’s happening in my life at this point in time.
For example, for me this week my top three pivot steps are:
Physical Health: To heal my upper respiratory infection this week by going to bed by 10:30 p.m., taking my remedies and drinking lots of hot fluids.
Financial: To contribute $50 to my RSP by Oct 30.
Spiritual:Saying my “Five Gratefuls” at bedtime daily.
Spiritual Health is sometimes a challenging area for people:
If this is an area you haven’t paid much attention to, how about starting simply by saying your “Five Gratefuls”at bedtime daily? (The 5 people or events that you’re grateful for that day)
Remember…These are the items you will do sometime during your week, yet not necessarily every day. I refer to my weekly pivot steps (in my planner and on Outlook) when I make my Daily Prioritized Task List. I take one of my pivot steps and schedule it in as a Top Priority “A1” Task. Once I’ve achieved it, checking off my progress feels great!
5. Review & Celebrate:
When you chunk out that 10-15 minutes on the weekend or first thing Monday a.m. to plan your next week, also answer your review Q for the past week:
What PIVOT STEPS DID I TAKE in the area(s) of my life I chose to focus on this week?
Take time to celebrate your progress! (Dark chocolate or a cup of teais what I reach for… how about you?)
Then start with a fresh sheet or download and print the template available at and plan your two or three pivot steps for the next week. Each week will be different depending on what’s emerging as important for you.
I recommend you stay on track with Your Pivot Point Strategy for a minimum of fourweeks & then review your progress. Feel free to adjust the Tool so it works better for you. I would love to hear how it’s working for you!
To quote Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
HOT OFF THE PRESS:I have a brand new audio resource available for you: Your Pivot Point Strategy: Your Valuable Toolkit For Achieving Practical Life Balance.
This CD consists of 11 tracks featuring how to use the strategy in your life; quick, effective strategiesfor improving your health, career & relationships, as well as innovative Whole Brain Thinking tools to put you in the mindset to achieve your goals. You can download it into your iTunes library and save to your handheld device. Then listen in your car, while you do laundry or on a walk.
Order the CD at or call my office at 780-465-9893.
Lynn Fraser, The Practical Life Balance Expert with Balance Your World Training & Coaching, is an enlightening speaker and a wholehearted coach. She coaches and mentors individuals who want to be better leaders as well as live balanced lives. Her consulting focuses on working with business managers and their teams to create a system for sustainable results. Visit her website at
Page 1 of 3Lynn Fraser, Balance Your World Training & Coaching lynnfraser.ca