My Lifemap

And 3 steps to create and use your own one

Illustration by the author

Time is our most valuable resource, and more often than we’d like to admit, we end up spending it on activities that offer no real benefit. In addition to wasting our time, we also tend to spend money on things that don’t bring us happiness, expend energy on battles that aren’t worth winning, and get lost in thoughts that lead us nowhere.

To optimize how to allocate our resources, we must first gain a deep understanding of what we truly want. Without taking the time for introspection, our actions will be dictated by external influences and circumstances, making us feel as though we are merely drifting through life, without actively steering towards our desired destination.

Since everyone prioritizes different aspects of life, there is no universal action plan for a meaningful and fulfilling life. What I can provide is a tool to facilitate your introspective journey, a tool I like to call lifemap. This is nothing but a mindmap and can hopefully help you answer life’s most crucial question:

“What does truly matter to me?”

Here are the three steps you can follow to create and use your own lifemap.

1. Cluster

List all the things you believe add meaning to your life and then group them together until…