Free Values-to-Action Worksheet: ACT Committed Action & Willingness Planner
ACT · ACT · Research-supported
A bridge worksheet between values clarification and behaviour change: it helps clients translate an identified value into one small, SMART, values-aligned step, while explicitly planning for the thoughts and feelings that will try to stop them — and logging their willingness to act with those thoughts and feelings present, rather than waiting for them to pass.
Underlying mechanism: Committed action within the ACT psychological flexibility model
What it helps with
- Converting an abstract value ("connection", "growth") into a specific, dated, achievable action for the coming week.
- Anticipating the internal barriers — anxiety, self-doubt, the urge to withdraw — that typically derail committed action before it starts.
- Rating willingness (0–10) to carry out the step while those thoughts and feelings are present, rather than treating willingness as all-or-nothing.
- Building a track record of small, values-aligned actions that counteracts the sense that anxiety or low mood is dictating every choice.
How clinicians use it
- Introduced immediately after values clarification work, so insight about what matters converts into a concrete plan before the session ends.
- Used to pre-empt common failure modes: steps that are too large, too vague, or contingent on first feeling ready.
- Reviewed the following session to distinguish a genuine barrier from an avoidance pattern dressed up as a barrier.
Clinical Implementation Guide
- Check the step is genuinely SMART — a vague step ("be more present") gives the client nothing concrete to report back on next session.
- Ask "what shows up when you imagine doing this?" before the client commits, so the barrier is named while it is still hypothetical rather than discovered mid-week.
- Treat a willingness rating below 5 as information, not failure — it usually means returning to acceptance or defusion work before the same step is retried.
What the worksheet looks like
| Value | This Week's Small Step | Thoughts/Feelings Likely to Show Up | Willingness to Act Anyway (0-10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Being a present parent | Put my phone in another room for one hour of family time on Thursday evening. | "I'll miss something urgent from work." | 7 |
| Physical health | Walk to the postbox instead of driving, three times this week. | "I'm too tired, what's the point of something this small." | 8 |
| Honesty in friendship | Tell a close friend the truth about how I've been doing, this weekend. | "They'll think I'm a burden." | 6 |
Clinical cautions
Ensure action steps are genuinely small. A common failure mode is committing to overly massive steps that lead to escape-avoidance patterns.
References
- Harris, R. (2019). ACT made simple: An easy-to-read guide to the principles and practice of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. New Harbinger Publications.
Part of
ACT (Acceptance & Commitment) Matrix Toolkit