How to plan your life?

When I was a medicine resident in KEM Hospital back in 2012, I used to be in the hospital all the time. I would be doing 24-hour shifts, 48-hour shifts. We would be in the wards all day, and then we would study in the library all night. At that time, it felt normal. It felt like this is how life is, and there's nothing to complain about.

Now, when I look back at it, when I look back on those days, I think of two things. These are two realizations that I've had:

1. It's definitely not normal. That's not the way that life is supposed to be.

2. Maybe it was inevitable.

Maybe, in order to grow and learn some things, everybody needs to go through that phase where they give everything for one cause. But it cannot last, and that is not what a healthy life is supposed to look like.

So then I asked myself:

What is a healthy life for me? What does living a good life mean?

And so, I've come up with a framework—a way to look at how to manage my life. Today, in this blog, I'm going to share that framework with you, and I hope that some of you will find it useful.

How Can You Plan Your Life?

The Six-Domain Theory

This is my hypothesis: we all want to do a lot of things in life, but it can get overwhelming to do all of it at once. I know it did for me.

So, I took a step back and looked at everything I wanted to do. I divided it into domains, and roughly, everything I wanted to do fell into six domains. Each of these domains is an area that is important for my health and well-being. Each of these plays a vital role, and if something were to go wrong in any of these domains, then I, as a person, would suffer.

What are the 6 Domains?

1. Physical
   This domain relates to my physical health. Everything that affects my health—like my sleep, diet, exercise—falls into this domain.

2. Professional
   This includes things that I do to further my career. If you're a student, your studies and academics also belong in this domain.

3. Personal
   These are activities I do for myself, for my own interest and growth—not in exchange for money but because I want to do them. This includes hobbies.

4. Financial
   This domain includes everything related to money: cash in my bank account, assets I own, and investments I've made. These provide me with a sense of safety and security for the future.

5. Social
   This domain covers all the relationships I've built and nurtured—parents, teachers, friends, and partners. Together, they form the social domain.

6. Spiritual
   This is the most abstract domain. It deals with questions about your purpose in life:

   • What is your story?

   • Why are you here?

   • What is your relationship with the universe?

“"Life's about balance, not perfection“

Principles of the Domains

1. Prioritization Changes Over Time
   We want to grow in all these domains, but not all at once. At different stages of life, our priorities may lie in different domains.

   • For instance, in the first quarter of life, the professional domain might be the most important. Later, the social or financial domain might take precedence.

2. Overcompensation

   

   If one domain isn't doing well, we might overcompensate by focusing on another. For example:

   • A bad day at work might lead to focusing more on friends.

   • A fight with a friend might lead to prioritizing work.

3. Measuring Success
   A domain is doing well when you have the freedom to explore new things in that domain and face new challenges every day.

4. Mental Health
   Mental health is a combination of all six domains. To achieve peace of mind, work on improving all these domains equally.

My Advice

If I had to prioritize, I would say that the physical domain is the most important because it makes working on all other domains easier and more enjoyable. If you have to pick one domain to work on daily, it should be your physical health.

Actionable Framework

Let this framework guide you in spending your time and effort wisely across different areas of life. Write down your expectations for each domain and review them every three months to see your progress.

I hope you find this framework useful! If you did, let me know. If you have any questions, put them in the comments below.

Cheers,

Take care,

Sid

PS: I will be covering all of this in detail along with more Implementation techniques in my NeuroMastery Bootcamp.

PPS: We do have a new year promo on the website. Check out the website and it will be auto-applied for you.