Screen tools against your values

Admit a technology only if it strongly supports something you deeply value — and is the best way to do so.

Why it works

Most apps clear a "some benefit" bar, which is why "is this useful?" keeps everything. Raising the bar to "does this strongly serve a core value, and is it the best tool for it?" flips the default from opt-out to opt-in, so attention flows to what matters by design rather than by accident.

How to do it

1. Name 2-3 things you deeply value (relationships, craft, health, learning).
2. For each candidate technology, ask: does it strongly serve one of these?
3. If yes, ask: is it the best way to serve that value, or just a convenient one?
4. Keep only tools that pass both screens; for the rest, decide a narrow, specific role or drop them.

Evidence

This is an applied decision rule, not an empirical finding. It draws on the well-supported idea that environment design beats willpower, and on minimalism’s broader logic of subtraction. Galla and Duckworth (2015) found that people high in self-control mostly succeed by building beneficial habits rather than by out-resisting temptation in the moment — which is exactly what a values screen does: it converts each keep/cut decision into a standing rule instead of a repeated act of willpower. (mechanistic)

No study tests "the minimalist screen" directly; it is a values-clarification step applied to technology.

Sources

• Galla, B. M., & Duckworth, A. L. (2015). More than resisting temptation: Beneficial habits mediate the relationship between self-control and positive life outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109(3), 508-525.

Common mistake

Using "is it useful?" as the test. Almost everything is somewhat useful, so that question keeps everything — the bar has to be "strongly serves a value AND is the best option".