Create a value tree for your own decision:
– Start with a brainstorming about what goals and values are relevant for your decision. Write each goal or value on a small post-it note.
– When you can’t think of any more goals and values, employ at least three of the stimulus variation techniques described in the book to come up with additional ones.
– When you really can’t think of any more goals and values, start grouping your post-its into a value tree into higher and lower level values, as described in the book. You may at that point come up with additional goals to fill some gaps, or discard post-its that now seem superfluous. Make a picture or sketch of your final value tree and hang on to that for later. (You will need it as a starting point for next week’s work sheet.)
How much effort to expect:
The value tree is a difficult but potentially very powerful exercise, so be prepared to think hard and put some time into it.
Count at least an hour for the exercise (not counting the reading), even if you have a relatively simple decision situation or don’t care too much about it.
If you are working on a decision that you really care about and want to take this opportunity to dig deeper and reconnect with your values (beyond the assignment), count more time.
2. Write at least three posts in the discussion forum (each worth up to 4 points), where you discuss your process for constructing a value tree, or give other people feedback on their process.
Please feel free to include an uploaded picture of your value tree (e.g., a photo of your post-it arrangement, a drawing of the final tree) to make your points clearer. Please scale your pictures down to a reasonable size before you upload them, because unfortunately the website does not automatically do that for you.
In at least one of your posts, please discuss the time perspective of your values (or respond to other people’s posts on that topic). Which ones of your values are relevant for your short-term future (days or weeks), which ones are medium (months to a few years), which ones are long-term (decades)? Do you have any that are super-long-term and go beyond your own life-span?
