Values compass check: is this action moving toward or away?
Before committing to a behavior, ask whether it moves toward or away from your stated values.
Why it works
Much behavior is driven by avoidance — doing what reduces discomfort right now even when it conflicts with long-term values. The toward/away distinction makes the functional purpose of behavior conscious: am I doing this because it matters or because it avoids something difficult? When away-moves are identified without judgment, they create choice rather than compulsion.
How to do it
- For a planned behavior or a behavior you just completed, ask: "Was this toward what matters, or away from something uncomfortable?"
- Label honestly — both toward and away-moves are normal; the point is conscious clarity, not guilt.
- If an away-move is identified, ask: "What toward-move is available in this same situation?"
- Practice this check daily for one week, tracking the ratio.
Evidence
The toward/away framework operationalizes approach vs. avoidance motivation, a well- studied distinction in motivational psychology. Approach motivation predicts better wellbeing and performance; avoidance motivation predicts higher anxiety and rigid behavior patterns. (observational)
The approach/avoidance distinction has strong support; the ACT toward/away compass check as a specific daily practice has not been independently trialed.
Sources
- Elliot & Covington (2001), approach and avoidance motivation, Educational Psychology Review
Common mistake
Using the check as a self-punishment tool ("another away-move — I’m so avoidant") rather than a navigational instrument that gives information without verdict.
Practice this with IX Coach
7 days free, then $40/month (~$1.30/day).
More practices for Values-Based Action (ACT), Made Practical
- Values clarification: what matters most to you?
Identify 3–5 core values — not what you should value, but what actually matters when life is stripped back.
- Committed action: making specific, values-linked behavioral commitments
Translate a value into a specific, observable action you commit to this week.
- Valued living audit: how much are you actually living your values?
Rate both how important each value is and how consistently you have been living it — the gap is where to focus.
- Defuse from thoughts that block values-based action
Identify the specific thoughts that stop you from acting on your values, and apply defusion rather than argument.
- The eulogy exercise: working backward from the life you want
Write a brief eulogy for yourself that describes who you were and how you lived — then work backward to what that requires today.
Related concepts
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Made Practical
The core ACT processes, the mechanisms behind them, and an honest read on the evidence
- Values Clarification, Made Practical
Card sorts, ranking, and value-consistent action — with an honest read on the evidence
- Self-Determination Theory, Made Usable
The three needs that make motivation self-sustaining