Values · Life Design · HourLife Premium
Say who you are becoming, and what you will and won’t do on the way.
Write the identities you are growing into and the values you live by, then check in on whether they still hold.
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“I am …”, in three stagesAn identity is a sentence that starts “I am”, a Character or a Role, at Aspiring, Developing or Established. Three dots on its card show the stage.
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A check-in that moves you onOne identity at a time, the check-in asks “Is this still true?”. “Working on it” moves an Aspiring identity to Developing, “Solid” moves a Developing one to Established, and “Need to rest” closes the chapter without deleting it.
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Values with a line drawnA value is one honest first-person sentence with its why, and under “WHAT THIS VALUE RULES OUT”, the things it says no to. On the first day of each quarter, Today can ask whether your plan reflects it.
Your first identity
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Finish the sentence
Open Values and tap the "+" beside "IDENTITY". After "I am", write who you are becoming, for example "a calm systems thinker".
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Say what kind, and where you are
Under "TYPE", choose "Character" or "Role". Under "WHERE ARE YOU?", pick "Aspiring", "Developing" or "Established", then tap "Save".
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Add a value beside it
Tap the "+" beside "VALUES" and write one sentence under "YOUR VALUE STATEMENT". Add why it matters and, one per line, what it rules out.
Every step, in detail
- 1 Tap the "+" next to "IDENTITY" and finish the sentence that starts "I am". Choose "Character" or "Role", then say where you are today.
- 2 Tap the "+" next to "VALUES" and write one first-person sentence under "YOUR VALUE STATEMENT".
- 3 Add why it matters, link a life area or identity if you like, and list what the value rules out, one per line.
- 4 When you have identities, open the "..." menu and choose "Identity check-in".
One identity at a time
The identity check-in walks your active identities in order and asks one question of each: “Is this still true?”. Showing up moves an identity one stage on, a hard stretch leaves it where it is, and rest closes the chapter without deleting anything.
Sample · four identities on Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026, with one already resting · answer each one, and write a note if you like
CHARACTER
I am an athlete who shows up every day.
Is this still true?
Resting an identity doesn’t mean you failed or that it was wrong. It stays in your story. You’re just not actively claiming it right now.
One identity at a time. Your answer nudges its maturity — showing up moves it forward; choosing rest closes the chapter without deleting it.
Where each identity stands
Answer, and watch the card move.
The columns are the three stages the card’s dots count. The identity being asked about is outlined, and under each one is its WHY THIS MATTERS.
Aspiring
I am working toward this. Not yet consistent.- I am an athlete who shows up every day.I want to feel strong at fifty.
Developing
I am becoming this. Showing up most days.- I am a calm systems thinkerCalm is how the hard problems get solved.
- I am a present parentThey are only small once.
Established
I have earned this. It’s part of who I am.- I am someone who keeps their wordTrust is slow to build and quick to spend.
- I am a marathon runnerIt taught me to train through the boring weeks.
| Answer | Aspiring | Developing | Established | A note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid | Stays | → Established | Stays | Replaces WHY THIS MATTERS |
| Working on it | → Developing | Stays | Stays | Replaces WHY THIS MATTERS |
| Feeling challenged | Stays | Stays | Stays | Replaces WHY THIS MATTERS |
| Need to rest | Rest sheet | Rest sheet | Rest sheet | Dropped. The rest sheet asks for its own. |
An identity moves one stage per check-in at most, and only forward: “Solid” on an Aspiring identity leaves it Aspiring, and nothing in the check-in moves an identity back. A note isn’t a log entry; it replaces what the identity’s page shows under WHY THIS MATTERS. The rest sheet also offers “Delete permanently instead”, which removes the identity and cannot be undone. Finishing the last identity starts the clock for the next check-in.
When the check-in comes round
Nothing interrupts you for a check-in. When one is due, a card reading “Evidence is building” waits at the top of the Values page, and tapping it opens the check-in. Three things must all hold for it to show.
Sample · the Values page on Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026 · change the cadence, the weeks since your last check-in, or a setting
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I am an athlete who shows up every day.
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I am a calm systems thinker
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“Health and energy come first — I protect sleep, movement, and recovery.”
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“Family and close relationships get my best time and attention.”
Settings · Identity Check-in
Three conditions, all at once.
The cadence sets how long after a check-in the next one is due. The card waits for an identity that is still Developing, the stage a check-in can move.
- “Check-in reminder” is on
- An identity is Developing
- A check-in is due: 14 weeks since the last one, and the cadence is 13
- “Evidence is building” shows
Swipe to see all thirty weeks.
The clock counts from the day you finished your last check-in; leaving one halfway doesn’t reset it. Turning “Check-in reminder” off hides the card but not the check-in itself: “Identity check-in” stays in the ⋯ menu whenever you have an active identity.
What a value rules out
A value is a sentence you mean, with a why. Its page adds the lines you won’t cross, called boundaries, and lists what is connected to it. Removing a boundary takes it off the page but keeps it on the value.
Sample · one value’s page · remove a boundary, or add your own
“Health and energy come first — I protect sleep, movement, and recovery.”
- No screens in the bedroom
- No skipped workouts for meetings I could move
- an athlete who shows up every day.
- Rest is part of the training.
“Turned down the 7 a.m. call to keep my run.”
Kept on the value
Removed, not deleted.
Each boundary is stored on the value with the day it was added. ✕ switches it off rather than erasing it, so the value keeps every line it has ever ruled out. With none left, the card gives way to an “Add a boundary” button at the foot of the page.
| Boundary | Added | Active |
|---|---|---|
| No screens in the bedroom | Mar 2026 | Yes |
| No skipped workouts for meetings I could move | Apr 2026 | Yes |
What links to a value
Swipe to see every link.
- Shows on the Values pages
- Shows only on the linking item’s own page
| Link | Shows on |
|---|---|
| Value → identity | The value’s card on the Values page, as “→ I am …” |
| Identity → value | The identity’s page, under FROM VALUE, and the value’s, under CONNECTED TO |
| Wisdom entry → value | The value’s page, under CONNECTED TO |
| Habit → identity | The identity’s page, under REINFORCING HABITS |
| Goal or project → value, identity | Only the goal’s or project’s own page |
| Trait or routine → identity | Only the trait’s or routine’s own page |
The two links between a value and an identity are separate: the one set from the value shows on the value’s card, and the one set from the identity shows on both pages. CONNECTED TO appears only when something links in, and cuts a long wisdom entry at sixty characters.
Four days a year, Today asks
On the first day of each quarter, Today shows one of your values and asks whether your plan reflects it. “Review” opens the values review, which takes your values one at a time and asks if each is still yours.
Swipe to see the next five quarters.
Sample · Today on Friday, Jan 1, 2027, with three values · tap Review, then answer each one
Q1 begins today.
“Health and energy come first — I protect sleep, movement, and recovery.”
Does your plan for this quarter reflect this?
No card now: a review is logged for today, so Today waits for the next quarter.
“Health and energy come first — I protect sleep, movement, and recovery.”
Your values are updated. See you in six months.
What the review writes
Nothing is lost, even “No longer mine”.
Answers are kept as you go and written when you finish the last value. Each row fills in as you move on.
| Value | Answer | What it writes |
|---|---|---|
| Health | — | Not reviewed yet |
| Relationships | — | Not reviewed yet |
| Mind | — | Not reviewed yet |
Every value you finish gets a new “last reviewed” date. A line under WAS IT TESTED THIS YEAR? becomes the value’s “Yearly review note”. “Needs revision” takes its new wording from ANYTHING TO CHANGE?, keeps the old wording in the value’s history and adds a version to ADDED, such as “Mar 2026 · v2 (revised once)”; with that box left empty, only the date changes. “No longer mine” archives the value rather than deleting it. Exit before the last value and nothing is written.
Tips
- Write values as rules you can act on today, like the app's example "I don't set myself on fire to keep others warm."
- Use "Need to rest" for an identity that belonged to an earlier chapter. It stays on your page under "RESTING".
- Link a habit to an identity with "Reinforces Identity" on the habit, so the identity page shows what you do to live it.
Questions
About Values day to day.
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What is the difference between an identity and a value?
An identity is an "I am" sentence about who you are becoming, marked "Character" or "Role", with a stage. A value is one first-person sentence about what you stand for, with its why and the things it rules out.
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How does an identity move from Aspiring to Established?
Through the identity check-in, one step at a time. "Working on it" moves an Aspiring identity to Developing, and "Solid" moves a Developing one to Established. "Feeling challenged" leaves the stage where it is. You can also set the stage yourself when you create the identity.
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What happens when I rest an identity?
It moves under "RESTING" on the Values page with an optional note under "WHAT TO REMEMBER". Nothing is deleted. Deleting is a separate choice, "Delete permanently", and it cannot be undone.
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How often does the check-in come round?
Every quarter unless you change "Check-in cadence" in Settings to monthly or every six months. When one is due and an identity is Developing, an "Evidence is building" card appears at the top of the Values page. "Check-in reminder" turns that card off.
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Can a value say what I won't do?
Yes. "WHAT DOES THIS VALUE RULE OUT?" takes one boundary per line when you create the value, and its page lets you add more with "Add a boundary" or remove one.
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Is Values free, and does it sync?
Values is part of HourLife Premium. Identities, values and value reviews sync through iCloud with the rest of your data. The check-in dates and the module's settings stay on the device.
Works with
Where Values hands off to the rest of HourLife.
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Habits
A habit can reinforce an identity, and it then appears under "REINFORCING HABITS" on that identity's page.
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Goals
Goals can be linked to an identity when you create them.
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Areas
An identity can be filed under one of the eight life areas. Values carry their own tags, such as Work, Mind or Spirit.
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Traits
A trait can be linked to an identity from its form.
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Today
On the first day of a quarter, Today can show one of your values with a "Review" button that walks through each value.
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Wisdom
Wisdom entries linked to a value appear under "CONNECTED TO" on that value's page.
Read and try
Books from the library that Values puts into practice, and something to try on paper or in the browser.
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The Road to Character David Brooks Brooks on résumé virtues and eulogy virtues. Values is where you write the second kind down.
The Road to Character
David Brooks
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How Will You Measure Your Life? Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, Karen Dillon Christensen on choosing what you will be measured by before the busy years choose for you.
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The Way of Integrity Martha N. Beck Beck on closing the gap between what you value and how you live, which a values check-in asks about.
The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self
Martha N. Beck
Already have HourLife?
Values is under Life Design in the module list, and it is part of HourLife Premium. Its page is titled "Identity & Values". The "+" menu holds "Add identity" and "Add value", and the ⋯ menu holds "Identity check-in" and "Settings". On the first day of a quarter, Today can show one of your values with a "Review" button.
Values is in the Library, under Life Design. If it isn’t there, turn it on in Settings → Look & Feel → Modules. It needs HourLife Premium.
What would you like to know?
Ask a question about this feature or tell us what’s missing.
Try Values in HourLife.
HourLife is free to download. Values comes with HourLife Premium.
