Free Core Values Finder (+ Guide)

What is a core values finder?

A core values finder helps you pick the few values that guide your life from a long list of possible values.

This one starts from 360 values in 12 categories, the same list as my core values list, and ends with your top 5 and what each one means for you.

What are core values?

Core values are the fundamental principles that shape your decisions, priorities and behavior. They're what you stand for, even when standing for it costs you something.

When you know yours, decisions get faster, because you already know what matters.

For the full list of 360 values, the research behind them and the 10 values I live by, read my core values list.

How to use the core values finder

You don't have to sort all 360. Filter by a category, or press Done sorting whenever you have enough.

Why rank with "this or that"?

Choosing your top 5 from a list of 20 good words is hard, because they all sound important.

Comparing two at a time is easier. Freedom or security? Honesty or kindness?

The finder uses your answers to sort all 10 with as few duels as possible, about 22 for 10 values.

How many core values should you have?

I recommend 5 to 10 core values: enough to cover work, health and relationships, and few enough to remember.

The finder gives you a top 5. Some people go stricter: Brené Brown asks people to narrow their list down to 2.

What to do with your core values

• Make them visible – keep them on your desk, your phone or your wall
• Turn each one into a habit – one thing you do every week because of it
• Use them to say no – a value that never rules anything out isn't guiding you
• Check your week against them – where did your time go, and does it match?
• Revisit them – your values can shift as you grow, so run the finder again from time to time

My core values

My top 5 are discipline, excellence, resilience, honesty and freedom.

Press Try an example to see them in the finder, with what each one means to me.

Who is the core values finder for?

The core values finder is for anyone facing a big choice, or wondering why some days feel right and others don't:

• Wheel of life assessment – for seeing which part of your life needs your values most
• Vision board maker – for turning your values into pictures you see every day
• Dream life planner – for designing a week and a 90-day plan that fit your values
• Ikigai test – for finding work that fits what you value

Everything you sort and write stays in your browser. There's no account, and nothing is sent anywhere.