Values Card Sort Exercise

What is Values Card Sort Exercise?

Identify your top 5 core values from a list of 80+ by sorting them into 'Very Important', 'Somewhat Important', and 'Not Important' piles. Then rank your top 5. Most people have never explicitly identified their values — they're living on autopilot, driven by others' expectations.

Is there evidence for it?

How do you do Values Card Sort Exercise?

1. 1.Get a values list (search 'personal values card sort' — many free printable versions with 80-100 values like: adventure, security, creativity, family, freedom, justice, health, wealth, wisdom, love, autonomy)
2. 2.First pass: quickly sort ALL values into three piles: 'Very Important to me', 'Somewhat', and 'Not Important'. Go with gut feeling, don't overthink
3. 3.Second pass: take your 'Very Important' pile (usually 15-25 cards). Now force-rank them. Pick the top 10, then the top 5. This is the hard part — you're choosing between good things
4. 4.Write your top 5 on a card you keep in your wallet or as your phone wallpaper. These are your decision-making compass. When facing a choice: 'Does option A or B align more with my top 5 values?'
5. 5.Revisit annually. Values shift with life stages — what mattered at 25 may not be your top 5 at 35. The exercise reveals where you've grown and where you're heading

How long does it take?

30-45 minutes for the initial sort.

Is it hard to start?

easy.

This is one entry from the library Shift matches against. It is general information, not advice about you, and nothing on this page came from anyone's conversation.