Foundations · Secular · ACT
Values-Based Action Planning
Values-Based Action Planning is the core committed-action move from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Hayes, Pistorello & Levin, Counseling Psychologist 2012;40(7):976-1002). ACT treats depression and meaninglessness not as feelings to fix but as signals that current behavior has drifted from what matters. The APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression (2019) includes ACT among recommended evidence-based modalities. The practice asks: what do I actually stand for, where is my behavior out of alignment, and what is one specific action I can take this week in service of that value — regardless of whether I feel motivated to do it.
Evidence basis
Hayes SC, Pistorello J, Levin ME. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a Unified Model. Counseling Psychologist 2012;40(7):976-1002; APA Clinical Practice Guideline for Treatment of Depression (2019); A-Tjak JGL et al., A meta-analysis of the efficacy of ACT, Psychother Psychosom 2015;84(1):30-36
Duration
20 min
Posture
Sitting
Difficulty
Intermediate
Format
Journaling
Benefits
The practice
Step by step
- 01
Sit somewhere quiet with a notebook. You will need about 20 minutes. This is reflective work, not a worksheet — write longhand if you can.
- 02
At the top of the page, write: 'What do I want my life to stand for?' Sit with that question for a full minute before writing anything.
- 03
Name your three most-important values. Values are directions, not goals — 'being a present parent' is a value; 'attending Tuesday's soccer game' is a goal in service of that value. Other examples: honesty, craftsmanship, generosity, learning, physical vitality, faith, service, creative expression, loyalty. Pick three that feel most yours, not most admirable.
- 04
Write each value on its own line, leaving space underneath.
- 05
For each value, rate how aligned your behavior has been over the past two weeks on a 0-to-10 scale. Zero means your behavior has not reflected this value at all; 10 means your behavior has consistently embodied it. Write the number next to the value.
- 06
Look at the three numbers. The value with the lowest alignment rating is where this practice points. Do not pick the one you feel guiltiest about — pick the lowest-rated one. Guilt and misalignment are different signals.
- 07
Under that value, write: 'One specific action this week in service of [value] would be ____.' Fill in the blank with something concrete, time-bound, and within your control. 'Be a better partner' does not count. 'Cook dinner Wednesday with no phone at the table' does.
- 08
Test your action against three checks: Is it specific (could a stranger tell whether it happened)? Is it time-bound (a day, a window)? Is it within your control (not requiring someone else's agreement)? If any check fails, rewrite the action.
- 09
Write the day and time you will do it. Put it in your calendar now if you use one. Vague intent is the silent killer of values work.
- 10
Below the action, write the phrase: 'I am doing this in service of [value], regardless of whether I feel like it.' Read it aloud. This is the committed-action principle — values guide behavior; feelings do not.
- 11
Notice any reasons your mind generates for why this action will not work, will not matter, or should be postponed. Write them down without arguing. ACT calls these 'workability questions' — the question is not whether the thought is true, but whether obeying it moves you toward your values or away from them.
- 12
Do the action at the scheduled time. After, return to your notebook and write one sentence: what happened, and whether the behavior was in service of the value. Outcome and feeling are separate from alignment — even an awkward execution can be a values-aligned act.
Modifications
Variations
Card-sort version for those who freeze on open-ended values questions: write 15-20 values on index cards (use a published values list — Hayes' 'Bull's Eye' values worksheet has one), sort into three piles (very important, somewhat important, not important now), then pick three from the very-important pile.
Compressed 10-minute version for low-capacity days: skip the three-value comparison. Name one value you have been neglecting, write one specific values-aligned action for this week, schedule it. The full version is better but a 10-minute pass is much better than skipping the practice.
Weekly-review version for ongoing use: instead of generating a fresh action, return to last week's action, evaluate whether it happened and whether it served the value, then set the next week's action. This is the maintenance form once the practice is familiar.
Note
Values clarification can surface grief if a major loss has narrowed what once felt possible — early bereavement, divorce, disability, retirement. If reviewing values produces overwhelming sadness rather than orientation, pause and use a grief-specific practice first, then return. ACT is not a substitute for treatment of severe depression with suicidal ideation; bring it into a therapeutic relationship as one element of care. For people with severe perfectionism or scrupulosity, the values-action gap can become a new source of self-criticism — if you notice the practice generating shame rather than direction, work with a clinician to reframe the gap as information, not failure. Avoid using this practice as a productivity tool ('what's the most efficient values-aligned action') — that reading misses ACT's core, which is workability of behavior, not optimization.
Goes well with
Pairs with
Stress & Sleep · 15 min
Pleasant Activities Schedule
The Pleasant Activities Schedule is the core skill of Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression — Revised (BATD-R; Lejuez et al., Behav Modif 35(2):111-161, 2011), a treatment the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression (2019) rates Grade A as a first-line standalone modality or paired with CBT. The mechanism inverts the depressive trap: depression tells you to wait until you feel better to act; behavioral activation has you act first, then evaluate. By scheduling small, concrete activities that historically produced even mild pleasure or mastery and rating predicted vs. actual enjoyment, you re-collect evidence that doing precedes feeling, not the other way around.
Stoic Journaling · 30 min
Values Clarification
A structured written audit that names your core values, defines them in your own words, and compares them against what you actually did last week. Developed from Donald Robertson's integration of Stoic prohairesis with ACT values work (Hayes & Wilson), it is useful for anyone who suspects a gap between what they say matters and how they spend their time. Thirty minutes is the real minimum; the depth comes from sitting with that gap honestly, not from filling in a template quickly.
Stress & Sleep · 5 min
Weak-Ties Activation for Low Mood
This is a five-minute behavioral activation micro-practice for low mood, built on the finding that brief, low-stakes contact with weak ties — acquaintances, not close friends — reliably lifts daily mood and reduces felt isolation (Sandstrom & Dunn, Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2014;40(7):910-922). The APA Clinical Practice Guideline for Treatment of Depression (2019) includes social-activity activation as a behavioral component of first-line BA. Unlike its longer loneliness-focused cousin, this version is sized for a depressed day: identify one tie you already saw, take one small action, note the response. The point is initiation, not connection depth.
Stoic Journaling · 10 min
Evening Stoic Review
A structured written review drawn from Marcus Aurelius's documented nightly habit, organized around three questions: what went well, what fell short, and what one concrete adjustment you will make tomorrow. It helps interrupt rumination by converting vague regret into a specific, actionable intention. Use it in the last 30 minutes before bed, after the day's obligations are finished.