This page belongs to an earlier version of Life+. My more recent framework is described in the eight Life Engine modes.
Five Decision Filters
I assess major choices about career, projects, environment, obligations and significant commitments of time or money through five successive questions. If a decision fails one, I reject it or revise it.
§ 01
Five filters
Q.01 - Q.05Q.01Does this decision protect life, health and time?
The first threshold. Anything that shortens life, damages health or wastes time without purpose fails the test, however attractive its short-term benefits may be.
Reason to reject: If a choice increases money or status at the expense of health and time, I reject it.
Q.02Does it expand my freedom to act?
I value what enlarges the range of decisions available to me: expertise, resources, autonomy and new possibilities. Anything that quietly narrows that range weakens the system.
Reason to reject: If a choice looks impressive from the outside but locks me into restrictive obligations and makes me less free, I reject it.
Q.03Does it advance learning and understanding?
Developing my thinking, understanding, expertise and involvement in science and technology is part of what gives a longer life meaning. A choice that does nothing for this direction will usually lose to a better alternative.
Reason to reject: If a choice provides comfort and status without developing my thinking or professional abilities, another option takes priority.
Q.04Would it make me dependent or less capable?
Dependence on people, organisations, substances, environments or emotional patterns can cost more than it appears to at the point of choice. A weakened system becomes more vulnerable.
Reason to reject: If a decision leaves me more easily controlled from outside or less able to act independently, I reject it.
Q.05Does it stand up over the long term?
The final filter. For every major decision I ask how it will look in ten to thirty years. Immediate appeal is not enough; it needs to make sense for a longer life.
Reason to reject: If a choice works today but fails over a longer horizon, I reject it.
§ 02
How the filters relate to the other principles
what followsThese filters follow from the anchor and the philosophy of Life+. They cannot replace work with the body, environment and other people. Instead, they rule out choices that conflict with the starting principles. Decisions that pass the filters can then be considered in the context of the eight modes of Life OS.