12 Signs You Need A Life Audit (+ Life Audit Workbook)

When is the right time to do a life audit? How do you know when to listen to that persistent urge to start afresh, change direction, or rethink your goals? Should you keep brushing it aside until you’re on your knees, begging for more clarity?

That persistent urge may be one of the many signs you need a life audit.

And you’re not alone.

I’m no stranger to the desire to overhaul certain aspects of my life. Recently, I’ve been questioning whether I should become a brand designer.

As a creative running two businesses, I constantly battle with whether to pivot, downsize, scale, or let go, even when everything is working fine.

Fortunately and unfortunately, as humans with values, goals, and a desire to live intentionally, we can’t always avoid questioning our choices and direction. While these thoughts can come up on any ordinary day, certain seasons, like the new year, birthdays, or even midyear, have a “beautiful” way of forcing us to take stock of our lives and ask, “Who am I, and where am I headed?”

So, if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, directionless, stuck, or constantly setting goals you never follow through on, it may be time to reassess your life.

In this post, we’ll explore 12 signs you need a life audit. If you recognize these signs in your own life, I’ll also share my Deeper Life Audit Workbook to help you take stock in just 45 minutes.

Life Audit Meaning

A life audit is an intentional assessment of different areas of your life, including your relationships, career, family, spirituality, finances, and physical and emotional well-being. It helps you understand what’s happening in those areas and how they affect one another.

We usually approach a life audit with a question we want answered about our goals, emotional state, core values, or the direction our lives are taking.

That is why I’ve always had an issue with advice to rate your life areas from 1 to 10 and work on the lowest scores.

These scores rarely account for your current season, energy, responsibilities, or emotional state.

If you’re overwhelmed and burnt out, you’d care less about hitting your business goals.

We audit our lives to find clarity, regain a sense of control, see whether we’re living in alignment with our purpose and core values, and feel satisfied we’re on the right track.

So, how do you know if you need a life audit?

12 Signs You Need A Life Audit

These 12 signs show up in your goals, relationships, routines, and the decisions you keep putting off. And as you’ll see, they’re often connected, with several showing up together.

1. Always Busy but Never Feel Fulfilled

Being constantly busy without feeling fulfilled by what you do every day is a clear sign that how you’re living right now doesn’t match how you want to live. Think about the last time you felt genuinely happy about the goals you set and achieved.

There’s a common saying where I’m from: “Busy for nothing.” If you’re unfamiliar, an equivalent is “spinning your wheels.”

You’ve got a long to-do list, and you’re getting things done, but in the grand scheme, they don’t matter to you. You feel empty.

A few months ago, working on my other business felt like a chore. Even when I got things done, they sparked no joy or sense of fulfillment.

I usually sit with my feelings for a while before making big, life-changing decisions. If something keeps bothering me, that’s when I address it.

If you’re wondering why I’d do that when it’s my life, well, you don’t want to make drastic decisions on a whim.

As a woman who deals with PMS, imagine resigning from your job during one of those emotional days, only for your period to show up the next morning, and you start regretting your decision. But I digress.

So, after sitting with that feeling for a few months, I finally asked myself, “Why do I feel this way?” When I audited that part of my life, I realized I’d outgrown the direction my business was taking.

How long you want to sit with your feelings is up to you.

But if you’re constantly busy with work, home responsibilities, or a packed schedule, yet feel no satisfaction from what you’re doing, it’s time to audit your life and find out why.

2. You Feel Stuck but Can’t Figure Out Why

Feeling stuck in life or certain areas of your life without understanding why is another clear sign you need a life audit. And it doesn’t mean you’re not making an effort. Far from it. You’re putting in the work, yet it feels like you’re going nowhere, and you can’t identify what’s holding you back.

For example, you may feel stuck in your career and conclude that you need a new job or a different career path. But have you considered how your finances, family responsibilities, or available time are shaping how you feel about work?

Imagine wanting to change careers but having bills to pay, people depending on your income, and barely enough time to learn the skills you need. Of course, you’d feel stuck. You want to move forward, but your current circumstances are making that difficult.

That’s why I believe the question you bring to a life audit matters. If you start by asking, “How do I change my career?” you’ve already assumed your career needs changing. But what if the real question is, “Why do I feel stuck in my career right now?”

Those two questions can lead you in very different directions. That’s why I always say no one wakes up and decides to audit their perfect life for fun. There’s usually a question they want answered, and the Deeper Life Audit Workbook starts with that question.

3. Your Life Doesn’t Reflect Your Core Values

If you ever ask me to define core values, I’ll tell you it’s the audacity to be you.

Your core values show up in your habits, how you spend your time, money, and energy, and the people you choose to spend on. They’re the guiding principles for how you choose to live.

But what happens when you stop living according to them?

For example, I know I can’t function in chaos. One of my core values is that “my space and life are a sanctuary.” I guard that sanctuary against draining friendships, unnecessary tension, toxic relationships, jealousy, and anything that makes me feel small or encourages me to put others down.

Now, imagine I get into a relationship where there’s constant emotional strain and tension. That affects my creativity, peace, and possibly my health. If I can’t find peace or be creative, I can’t work. If I can’t work, my business suffers. And if that keeps happening several times a week for an entire year, what do you think will happen to my business?

No area of life exists in isolation. The closer you look, the more you’ll see how one area influences another.

When you keep making choices that feel misaligned with who you are, it’s time to honestly reassess your life.

4. You Keep Setting Goals But Never Follow Through

How many times have you set masterful goals that look great on paper but you never followed through on them? You’re not alone. If we all achieved every goal we set, the world would be a better, RICHER place.

But when you fail to achieve these goals, you blame discipline, the poster boy for failed goals. Other times, you blame yourself for feeling stuck, overwhelmed, unmotivated, or pulled in different directions.

Yes, it can be a motivation or discipline issue. But have you considered your season of life?

This is one problem I have with the regular advice to set a long list of SMART goals for every area of life without considering your capacity, commitments, or current season.

Are you in a season of transition, rest, building, establishing, caregiving, or nurturing? How much time do you have to give?

A year ago, I was unmarried, with no commitments beyond myself and my business. Now I have a family to care for. And my situation is different from that of a nursing mum, a student attending classes five days a week, a primary caregiver, or someone dealing with burnout.

Imagine expecting everyone in these categories to achieve similar goals within the same strict timelines.

I’ll put a pin in that discussion since this post isn’t about goal setting. You can get my goal-setting framework here.

If you keep setting goals you never follow through on, you may be overwhelming yourself or trying to work on too many areas of life at once.

The Deeper Life Audit Workbook helps you answer your burning question and identify up to three areas of life to focus on at a time.

5. You’re Constantly Exhausted or Overwhelmed

Constant exhaustion and overwhelm also signal it’s time to audit your life.

Most people associate this feeling with having too many responsibilities. You’re busy with home life and work; you need to go to the gym, be healthy, be successful, still practice self-care, wake up at 5 AM, slay your goals, and maintain your mental health. All simultaneously.

Side-eye to the internet’s productivity-maxxing culture.

As overwhelming and daunting as all of this is, another kind of exhaustion no one talks about enough comes from feeling stuck.

When you have too many ideas, too much to do, or no idea which direction to take, you can end up feeling like you’ve been pulling an elephant all day, even when you’ve done nothing.

I experience this when a question pulls at me all day, and I need to make a life-changing decision. My mind keeps going over the same thoughts, and by the end of the day, I’m exhausted.

Instead of making muddy decisions, take a minute and ask yourself why you feel that way. Dig deeper with questions like:

• What exactly is overwhelming me right now?
• Is my exhaustion coming from everything I’m doing or everything I’m trying to figure out?
• What decision or question keeps pulling at my heart?
• Which areas of my life are contributing to how I feel?
• What do I need to address before I can think clearly?

6. You Keep Putting Off Important Decisions

You keep putting off important decisions because you’re overwhelmed, exhausted, stuck, or unsure of what to do. Do you see? These signs hardly exist in isolation.

As I mentioned earlier, I love to sit with important decisions. But sitting with them for too long points to avoidance. And that’s when you need to have an uncomfortable conversation with yourself.

For the longest time, I’ve felt a strong pull to study design and become a brand designer. I love aesthetically pleasing things, and I notice the little details. I’m even an official Canva Creator. Blame the curse of being a recovering perfectionist.

But why should I change the course of my life when things are already working? What if I take that leap and regret it? And then there’s the fear of the unknown.

Sitting down to answer that question has given me a clearer direction, both personally and as a business owner. I’d say this is the year I’ve asked myself the toughest questions and gained the most clarity in different areas of my life.

And if you’re using the Deeper Life Audit Workbook, you’ll evaluate your question against your capacity, values, and the areas of life it affects.

7. You Feel Pulled to Change Your Life

You’re dissatisfied with how your life is going, or how things are going in one particular area, and you keep questioning whether it’s time for a change.

For me, it was becoming a brand designer and creative director. That meant changing my career direction by 90 degrees. I wouldn’t say 180, since I already practice a bit of it.

For you, it could mean quitting your job to change careers, walking away from a toxic relationship, selling your home to become a digital nomad, losing weight, eating healthier, starting a side hustle, or finally going to therapy.

However, keep in mind that the change you feel pulled to make may not always be the change you need.

Imagine wanting to quit your job because you’re constantly exhausted. You’re convinced a new career will solve the problem. But after auditing your life, you realize that between work, family responsibilities, and everything else you’ve committed to, you barely have time to yourself. Would changing careers solve that?

This is why I believe you should audit your life before making drastic changes on a whim. Understand why you want that change, how it affects other areas of your life, and how it fits your values and current season. You may discover that the big change you’ve been considering isn’t what needs your attention after all.

8. You’re Navigating a Major Life Transition

Getting married, having a baby, losing a loved one, moving to a new country, changing careers, getting divorced, or becoming a caregiver are all major life transitions. Each comes with its own adjustments.

Take marriage, for example. Before I got married, I had a morning routine I’d spent years building. I’d gone from being a night owl to waking up at 5 AM, making time for self-care, reading, prayer, and writing a new blog post before starting the rest of my workday.

I even wrote an entire blog post about the 12 things I did before 8 AM, where I described myself as a self-employed woman living alone.

After my wedding, I found it increasingly difficult to get back into that routine. It took me a few months to realize that my old routine no longer fit my life.

That’s the problem I have with most advice that tells you to set goals, build routines, and do everything else as though everyone is in the same season of life, with the same responsibilities and priorities.

Major life transitions affect how you approach your day-to-day activities. You find yourself stuck, wondering why you’re struggling with things you used to do effortlessly.

If you’re feeling this way after a major life change, it’s a sign you need to audit your life.

Conducting a life audit during a major transition helps you take stock of your new circumstances, reassess your priorities, and decide what deserves your time in this season.

For some, that means taking a step back. For others, it means intentionally making space for what’s important, even when life feels strained.

9. You No Longer Enjoy Things You Used to Love

Think about the things you used to enjoy but no longer find exciting, especially those that reflect who you are or who you aspire to become.

It could be your habits, hobbies, career, business, or even mundane activities you used to enjoy at certain times of the day, like going for a walk.

Naturally, we pick up new interests and lose interest in old ones. That’s normal.

But if you keep losing interest in things that used to matter to you, feel overwhelmed by them, or wouldn’t touch them with a long pole, it’s worth asking yourself why.

If you’ve lost interest in almost everything you used to enjoy, especially for an extended period, don’t brush it off as a lifestyle issue. It’s worth speaking with a mental health professional.

10. You’re Increasingly Dissatisfied With Your Relationships

In this context, you’re looking at not only your relationships with others but also your relationship with yourself.

You feel increasingly dissatisfied with your relationships with family, friends, romantic partners, or other people in your life.

Relationships are complicated, and there are usually two sides to consider: yours and the other person’s.

But if you’re repeatedly getting hurt or feeling dissatisfied in a way that affects your happiness and other areas of your life, consider asking yourself life-audit questions to help you reassess your relationships.

When it comes to your relationship with yourself, how do you talk to yourself? What do you think of yourself? Do you love yourself enough? Are you a priority in your own life? What’s your relationship with food? How do you treat your body? Do you love yourself beyond your insecurities?

11. You Keep Saying Yes and Struggle to Set Boundaries

One of the biggest causes of overwhelm and other avoidable problems in life is a lack of boundaries.

Struggling to say NO can reveal insecurities, fears, and people-pleasing tendencies. A 1992 study on self-silencing also found a connection between suppressing your thoughts and feelings to maintain relationships and depressive symptoms among women.

Think about how this affects your life. At work, you take on responsibilities that aren’t yours. In your relationships, you keep accommodating people until you become resentful. You lend money or give away things you can’t afford to please others.

Now, imagine auditing your finances because you’re always broke, your relationships because you feel taken advantage of, and your work because you’re exhausted, only to discover that your inability to say NO is contributing to all three.

As a recovered people-pleaser, I’ll tell you for free: saying NO is a form of self-love and self-care.

Many life audits ask you to rate your satisfaction with each area from 1–10. But the Deeper Life Audit Workbook helps you understand why you feel that way and how different areas of your life connect.

12. You Constantly Feel Behind in Life

You constantly feel behind, stuck, and unable to make progress. This could come from comparing yourself to your friends or falling into the common trap of comparing your life to the edited lives of people on social media.

You should consider doing a life audit if you hold yourself to standards that no longer fit your current reality, or you’re unsure what you should be doing right now.

Now, this is a grey area. A life audit may point you in the right direction, but you still have to find specific solutions to the problems you uncover.

For example, you feel behind because your career isn’t progressing the way you expected. You audit your life and realize you’re not making progress in your career. If you use a tool that doesn’t stop at identifying the problem, like the Deeper Life Audit Workbook, you’ll discover you’re stuck because you need to upskill.

But deciding to upskill is only the beginning. You still have to figure out what skills you need, whether to get a mentor, take a course, or pursue another option that fits your circumstances.

What to Do If You Recognize Yourself

If you recognize yourself in several of these signs, don’t rush to fix everything. Start by identifying the question, concern, or feeling that’s been bothering you.

It could be feeling stuck, constantly exhausted and burnt out, setting goals you never achieve, or realizing things that once made sense to you no longer do.

Once you’ve identified what’s bothering you, rephrase it into the question you want answered.

For example, you’re always feeling stuck in life. Your question is, “Why do I always feel stuck?”

Now, with that question, you have a clear path for your audit.

From there, examine the areas of your life connected to that question and decide what to do next.

In a nutshell, do a life audit that digs deeper instead of only rating your life with a number that tells you nothing.

Here are my 6 Steps to Do a Life Audit Without the Wheel of Life.

Or you can skip those steps and get the Deeper Life Audit Workbook.

In 45–60 minutes, you’ll go through five phases of life audit questions and guided prompts that hold your hand as you examine different areas of your life and dig into why you feel the way you do.

You’ll narrow your focus to three areas connected to the question tugging at your heart, examine how they influence one another, and decide which ones need your attention.

By the end, you’ll have your Life Audit Snapshot (your report card, but instead of listing only what’s wrong, you’ll know what to focus on next).

Get the Deeper Life Audit Workbook and conduct your life audit in 45–60 minutes.