If someone looked at your calendar right now and judged your life by it - your values, your goals, your priorities - would the judgement reflect who you are trying to be, what you are trying to build, or to broadcast into the world?
Yesterday I led the Founder OS workshop at Africa Tech Festival, the biggest yearly tech event in the country, and I did one of my favorite modules to teach:
A scientific approach to living a good life. I call it the Work-Life Integration System. It has 5 simple steps.
It's not about the “perfectly balanced” life, or the one you see in glossy magazines.
It's about the life that feels good to you. That keeps your soul content.
All you need is a calendar, and a bit of unfiltered honesty.
1. Define what matters (to you).
The buckets that make life feel full right now, not in some “someday” future.
For me: health, relationships, learning, fun, and meaningful work.
For you, it might be different. Maybe one of your buckets is singing. Or baking. Or anything that needs to be for your life to feel complete every day.
2. Define what success looks like (to you).
What would “good” life look like in each area today, this week, this month?
Write it down. Make it visible. Make it as detailed or simple as it needs to be to guide your choices well. (You can see my example below)
3. Identify specific actions you will take consistently.
Different visions require different actions. Everything has a matching cost. You can't wish to be one of the world's greatest and think that amateur moves will get you there. Match "the price" with the prize.
4. Schedule time.
Nothing meaningful manifests without spending time and effort on it, without putting "the reps" in.
And remember: we humans are terrible at estimating effort. We have this optimism bias.
So set your expectations right to avoid getting frustrated and quitting.
5. Reflect and adjust.
Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly - whichever works for each goal.
You’ll change. Your priorities will change. What a good life is for you will change.
Let your calendar evolve with it. It should serve your life, not own it.
Fulfillment = clarity + consistency + reflection (to adjust).
There’s no ONE way to live a good life.
But there is ONE way to live a good life for you.
Are you living it?
