You've probably learned by now that life isn't always fair. While all of us have resources, there is a great disparity between those who have many and those who have few. Some have more money than others while still others have more energy, creativity, or technical ability than the next.

However, there is one great equalizer-time. No matter how energetic, how rich or poor, each of us has an equal amount of time per day. The ways we choose to spend our time is a reflection of not only our biological needs, but also our values and priorities. Amidst clamoring demands, we can vote for that which we feel is most important. We vote with our time.

If you are like most Americans, you have found that most of your time is spent at work... and that you struggle to maintain some semblance of balance. In order to make basic decisions about our lives; in addition to having a model for prioritizing activities, it's helpful to have a goal setting model. A planning wheel will help you to visualize the balance between life's major areas. Each wedge represents a different area and the completed chart graphically represents your whole life.

One by one make a general, intuitive assessment of each category. How do you feel right now about each part of your life? What is your level of satisfaction in each area? Shade in each section of the wheel based on your relative satisfaction with that particular area.

Is there a substantial dent in the shape of your wheel? Is your wheel fairly round? Is your wheel very small? What is the general "shape" of your life? To establish a new balance in your life, begin by setting goals.

In investing our time, our goal should not be getting as much as possible done. It should be getting the most important things done. But how do we decide what is most important? By using the Advanced Prioritization Matrix, we can quickly and visually determine where our time is best invested.

Step 1: Record the important tasks and activities from your "to do" list both horizontally and vertically in the numbered boxes on the grid.

Step 2: In each blank cell of the grid, enter the number answering the question "which one is more important?"

Step 3: On the scoring chart, record the total number of times that each number occurred throughout the grid. Assign priority ratings. Top priority (#1) goes to task/activity with the highest total - and so on . . .