This worksheet is a values-affirmation exercise. You spend time with your core values, write about one of them, and then express it in daily life. It is offered as a way to meet procrastination, discouragement at a hard task, and habitual reactions with a more deliberate response.
Where the idea comes from
Brandon Schmeichel and Kathleen Vohs reported a series of experiments in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2009) in which affirming a core value counteracted the drop in self-control that followed a mentally draining task. Their work builds on Roy Baumeister’s model of willpower as a limited resource that tires with use. This is best treated as a reflective exercise worth trying, not a guaranteed method.
How to practice
- Take a long, reflective stretch of time with your core values. What defines your worldview? What are your own guidelines for living well? A core value might be compassion, dedication to your work, or a good sense of humor, as long as it is real for you.
- Choose a value because it is true, not because it makes you sound like a saint. The aim is to affirm the deepest and most meaningful parts of yourself.
- Write a short essay on one core value, why it matters to you and to others, and a time it made a difference in your life.
- You might keep a journal for this and treat each value as the subject of its own editorial piece.
- Express the value in the world. If you value honesty, you might practice it and encourage it in others.
- Over time, notice whether anything shifts in how you respond when your self-control is tested, and keep practicing.
A caution from the worksheet: serious addictions or psychological compulsions may need more support than self-affirmation alone. This practice complements care from a doctor or therapist and does not replace it.
