Where this came from
My brother Harvie sent me the Four Burners Theory. Your life is a gas cooker with four hobs: work, family, health and friends. There's only so much gas, and the line that stuck with me goes like this:
In order to be successful you have to cut off one of your burners. And in order to be really successful you have to cut off two.
Most people act as if all four are on full. They aren't. Everyone is making trade-offs, and this is a way to make them on purpose.
Four felt like too few, so I use six. Family and Relationship are separate, because things can be great with your partner and strained with a parent, and each needs its own attention. Eudaimonia covers the inner life: learning, growth and meaning. You can be fit, busy at work and there for everyone, and still feel empty. That's the hob that explains it.
Every Sunday an email asks me to set my hobs for the week ahead. The right balance changes with whatever season of life you're in, so I check in weekly and adjust.