The Litmus Test
Are you still heading somewhere you chose?
Did I arrive here by accumulation, or did I intentionally design to be here?
A compass, not a checklist.
You're not trying to perfect every decision. You're trying to stay aligned with what actually matters.
At the trailhead
Before starting something new.
At every fork
When choices, opportunities, or priorities compete.
When the path gets unclear
When you're busy but not sure you're headed in the right direction.
- 01Step
Locate
Where am I actually?
Take stock of your current state.
- What has your time, attention, money, energy, and responsibility?
- What did you choose, and what simply accumulated?
- What's working? What's creating friction?
- 02Step
Orient
Where am I trying to go?
Clarify your chosen destination.
- What are you trying to make true?
- What matters enough to protect?
- What are you no longer optimizing for?
- 03Step
Test
Does what I'm doing take me there?
Evaluate each commitment, project, or responsibility.
- Does it move you toward what you said matters?
- Necessary? Helpful? Neutral? Or just there by default?
- Get honest about your current state
- Reconnect with what you've chosen to make true
- Check alignment at every fork and every detour
- Make conscious trade-offs
- Move forward with clarity
Draft your test in this shape
“Does this move me toward ______, without costing me ______?”
If the answer is no, the decision is no. Even if it’s flattering.
What you named in Orient — the destination you chose.
What you said you’d protect — time, energy, relationships, health, focus.
Three moments where the same three steps do different work. Open a card to walk through Locate, Orient, Test — and the decision it produces.
Jobs To Be Done
A clear set of what this journey genuinely requires from you, so you can design what's next.
The Litmus Test worksheet
A one-page worksheet with writing space for all three steps — Locate, Orient, Test — plus room to capture the decision it produces. Print it, keep it in your planner, or fill it in on your device.
Ready to run your commitments through the test? The Weekly Edit is the tool built for that.
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