Life Index

This is not a framework or a system I'm suggesting for anyone else. It's simply how I reflect on my own life. Over time, I've come to think of it as a Life Index a way of checking in with myself.

I divide my life into four quadrants: work/learning, sleep, food, and exercise. For me, these are the big moving parts that most directly shape how I feel and function each day.

This doesn't include things like money, family, or friends not because they aren't important, but because in my life those areas have been relatively stable and don't swing as wildly. The Life Index is my way of looking at the things that require active attention, discipline, and daily effort.

The Four Quadrants

1. Work / Learning / Study

For me, this is about pushing myself at work, in learning, and in study. It could be keeping up with new things in my field, reading blogs and papers, or pushing projects forward. The bar here is extremely high. I want to do more, learn more, and constantly stretch myself.

2. Sleep

Six to eight hours, every night. Sleeping on time and waking up refreshed. When this is on track, everything else improves. When it slips, the whole index feels shaky.

3. Food

Eating a nutritious, protein-rich diet. Keeping it balanced. It sounds straightforward, but food choices demand consistency and attention and I've learned it's an area that can easily shift depending on what else is going on.

4. Exercise

Running, gym, walking at least one solid hour every day. Like the others, the bar is high. I've found this quadrant gives me both energy and discipline, but it's also something that takes planning to sustain.

Scoring the Life Index

If each quadrant scores 1 point, the “perfect” Life Index would be 4/4. But here's the truth: I've never reached it.

At best, I've hovered around 3.2 to 3.5.

In some phases, I've had perfect sleep, food, and exercise but my work had to take a back seat.

In other phases, I was on fire with work, but sleep and exercise slipped.

Right now, I'm focused on maximizing work, fitness, and sleep but I'm taking the food part a little lighter. At the end of a long day of work and exercise, I let myself just enjoy what I love to eat, even if it's not perfectly optimized.

Hitting 4/4 feels impossible at least for me. And that's the point.

Acceptance, Not Perfection

The Life Index isn't about chasing perfection. It's not a scoreboard. It's a mirror.

I use it to notice trade-offs, to see what's strong, and to accept what's slipping. There's always movement. And I've come to believe that's how it should be.

It's about reflecting honestly, making peace with trade-offs, and accepting that perfection is impossible and completely okay.