Core Values Worksheet: A Free, Printable Way to Find What Matters to You

Why these steps, and where they come from

The spine of this worksheet is values work from acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), where getting clear on what you want to stand for, and then taking small steps towards it, are two of the core processes. Russ Harris, a doctor and therapist who trains others in ACT, describes values as how you want to behave on an ongoing basis, not what you want to get or achieve. The 0 to 10 scores in step 4 are adapted from a rating form in his free ACT worksheets, which goes with a values sheet he adapted from Kelly Wilson's Valued Living Questionnaire. Step 6 is what ACT calls committed action.

Steps 1 to 3 borrow the idea behind the Personal Values Card Sort, from Miller and colleagues at the University of New Mexico: sort values into piles by how important they are to you. The list itself is our own, written in plain English. Step 7 draws on Shalom Schwartz's research on values, which describes how some values tend to pull against each other, such as personal success and looking after others.

Step 5 is the kind of writing used in research on self-affirmation, where people write about a value that matters to them. Some studies have found it helps people cope with stress and threat, but a large, careful repeat of one school study found no effect. So treat it as worth a few minutes, not a cure. These are educational self-reflection tools, written to be done alone or alongside therapy, not a replacement for it.

These are educational self-reflection tools, not therapy, see our editorial standards.

If you want to go deeper

• Harris, R. The complete set of client handouts and worksheets from his ACT books (2018), actmindfully.com.au, including the values worksheet and rating form adapted from Kelly Wilson's Valued Living Questionnaire.
• Harris, R. (2006). Embracing your demons: an overview of acceptance and commitment therapy. Psychotherapy in Australia, 12(4).
• Miller, W. R., C'de Baca, J., Matthews, D. B. & Wilbourne, P. L. (2001). Personal Values Card Sort. University of New Mexico.
• Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1).
• Cohen, G. L. & Sherman, D. K. (2014). The psychology of change: Self-affirmation and social psychological intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 333-371.
• Hanselman, P., Rozek, C. S., Grigg, J. & Borman, G. D. (2017). New evidence on self-affirmation effects and theorized sources of heterogeneity from large-scale replications. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(3), 405-424.

Your questions, answered

What is a core values worksheet?

It's a structured page that helps you work out what matters most to you, and then live by it. This one gives you a values list to pick from, helps you sort and narrow it to your top five, puts each in your own words, and checks how closely you're living by them. It ends with one small step for this week and a way to use your values when a choice is hard.

How do I use a values list?

Read it quickly and pick out anything that feels important, going with your gut. Then sort your picks into 'very important' and 'important', and narrow the first group down to five. The words are only labels, so the step that matters most is writing what each value means to you, as something you do.

How is this different from the 'Who am I?' worksheet?

The 'Who am I?' worksheet explores your identity: who you are underneath the roles you play. This one goes deep on values. It gives you a list to choose from, helps you rank them, shows the gap between what matters to you and how you're living, and ends with an action. They work well together.

What are good questions to help me find my values?

Try: 'When did I feel proud of how I acted, not of what I achieved?', 'What makes me angry on someone else's behalf?', 'Who do I admire, and for which qualities?' and 'What would I keep doing even if nobody ever saw it?'. Then look for the value underneath each answer and check it against the list in steps 1 and 2.

Is there a core values worksheet PDF?

Yes. Use the Download PDF button for a clean, print-ready copy, or Print to print straight from the page. It's completely free, with no payment and no email needed. You can also fill it in on screen, and your answers save in your browser.

Is this worksheet a substitute for therapy?

No. It's an educational self-reflection tool, not therapy or medical advice. Thinking about your values can stir up hard feelings, especially if your life feels a long way from what matters to you. If you feel stuck, hopeless or overwhelmed, or ever have thoughts of harming yourself, please reach out to a GP or family doctor, a qualified mental health professional or a crisis line.

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