Exercise: “Three Bucket Litmus Test”
Context
Tagline (Short Explanation of Value)
Lorem ipsum explanation of value. Lorem ipsum explanation of value. Lorem ipsum explanation of value. Lorem ipsum explanation of value.
Visual Diagram
Case Study (low-level, specific to this exercise)
[Optional] Warm-up Exercise (Prologue)
Lorem ipsum warm-up exercise. Lorem ipsum warm-up exercise. Lorem ipsum warm-up exercise. Lorem ipsum warm-up exercise.
Steps
Step 1: Identify which of your (fulfilling, derailing, and interesting) Tenets are relevant to this future path.
For example, if this is a career decision, focus on the Tenets related to career.
Step 2: How will taking this future path allow you to enact your fulfilling Tenets?
What will you have to keep in mind to do so?
Step 3: What opportunities does this future path provide you to experience your interesting Tenets?
What will you have to keep in mind to do so?
Step 4: Which of your derailing Tenets are at risk of being triggered if you take this future path?
Are they Tenets you must avoid, or are they Tenets you’re willing to work towards overcoming?
[Bill Burnett] Step 5a: If still compelling, prototype the future path with a Conversation to gain more signal.
“The future is already here, it’s just unevenly distributed.” – William Gibson
There’s someone out there living the future you’re considering. You can meet them and have a conversation with them. Listen to their story and look for narrative resonance – do you feel something that shows you a path forward?
[Bill Burnett] Step 5b: If still compelling, prototype the future path with a low-stakes Experience to gain more signal.
Experience a small version of the future you’re considering, and look for a felt experience that this is worth it. (e.g., sitting in on a lecture before deciding to go back to school).
While there’s no perfect solution, we’ve found Tenets that satisfy the following criteria are often specific and actionable:
- Tenets are foundational base-level principles, beliefs, or values that influence your decisions / shape your behavior / define your emotions.
- Your Tenets exist in you regardless of whether you’re aware of or happy about them.
- Tenets describe a way of living life, rather than an end-state you want to achieve.
- Tenets are often limited to specific context(s) in your life.
- When writing Tenets, be explicit about how they should be embodied, and by who.
- When writing Tenets, state them as a sentence rather than a single word.