How Compass measures a life.
Every measurement tool worth trusting is transparent about what it measures and why. Here's ours.
Why these eight?
Positive psychology researchers, longitudinal happiness studies, and clinical outcomes literature converge on a small number of factors that determine long-term human flourishing. Compass distills those into 8 pillars — enough to be complete, few enough to be actionable.
BODY
Sleep, movement, nutrition, energy. Sourced from sleep science + longitudinal exercise studies.
MIND
Learning, focus, sharpness. Sourced from Cal Newport + K. Anders Ericsson research.
MONEY
Security + freedom. Sourced from Housel, Bogle, and behavioral finance literature.
WORK
Meaning, craft, autonomy, growth. Sourced from Deci & Ryan's self-determination theory.
BONDS
Depth of relationships. Sourced from the Harvard Study of Adult Development.
SPIRIT
Meaning, practice, presence. Sourced from Frankl, contemplative + secular practice.
PLAY
Joy, creativity, adventure. Sourced from Stuart Brown + Csikszentmihalyi flow work.
LEGACY
Contribution beyond self. Sourced from Erikson's generativity stage + legacy research.
How your Compass Score is calculated.
Each question returns 0–100.
32 pillar questions × 4 per pillar. 5 answer choices each. The lowest reasonable answer scores ~10; the highest ~100. Weights are calibrated to the underlying research.
Pillar score = average of 4 questions.
Each pillar has 4 questions probing different dimensions (e.g. Body = sleep + movement + energy + nutrition). We average, not weight-manipulate.
Compass Score = average of 8 pillars.
Weighted equally. Every pillar matters equally over a lifetime, even if a specific season emphasizes one.
12 lifestyle questions personalize the gameplan.
Wake time, sleep window, screen time, caffeine, alcohol, living situation, energy peak, biggest stressor, top 90-day goal, age, daily commit time. These don't score — they tune your plan.
Tier bands: OFF-COURSE → FLOURISHING.
0-39 Off-course · 40-54 Struggling · 55-69 Steady · 70-84 Compounding · 85-100 Flourishing. Most people land Steady to Compounding on a first scan.
How Compass tells you exactly what to do.
Instead of overwhelming you with 8 lists of things to fix, Compass surfaces your weakest three pillars and builds a gameplan on each — because leverage lives at your lowest score, not your highest.
For each priority pillar, you get:
- Headline diagnosis — what's actually going on.
- Why-it-matters — how this pillar leaks into the others.
- 7-day plan — one specific action per day, Monday through Sunday.
- Morning + evening rituals — small, repeatable, tailored.
- Milestones at Day 1, Day 7, Day 30.
Every plan adapts to your score band — low (0-44), mid (45-69), or high (70+) — so you never get generic advice.
Tools that compound the scan.
DAILY CHECK-IN
5 lightning questions each day. 30-day streak grid. Weekly vibe average. The habit that pulls you back.
VALUES CLARIFIER
Two rounds of narrowing → your top 5 core values. Saved locally. Feeds your North Star.