"The New KPI for Life" — Harvard Professor Launches LIFE Matrix
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 13, 2025 -- In a world increasingly dominated by performance dashboards, efficiency hacks, and optimized schedules, an old question remains: How can we spend our time in ways that truly enrich us? Research in MIT Sloan Management Review introduces a new way for individuals to measure the subjective value of their time, supported by a framework that identifies the small changes we can make that may significantly increase life satisfaction.
Traditional time management is about optimization and productivity, but do your hours actually deliver value?
Coauthored by Harvard Business School Professor Leslie Perlow and NYU Stern Professor Salvatore Affinito, "Time Well Spent: A New Way to Value Time Could Change Your Life," can give leaders and teams greater insight into how to align their activities with what matters most.
"Traditional time management is about optimization and productivity," says Perlow. "But what's been missing is a way to see if your hours actually deliver value — if they bring you joy, a sense of accomplishment, or meaningfulness. We bridge this gap and give people the clarity and agency to make small shifts — and show that even small shifts can make a profound difference in how we live and lead."
The LIFE Matrix goes beyond the focus on productivity found in traditional time management tools and, for the first time, makes it possible to assess whether you are crafting your best life with the 168 hours you have each week. It uses your own data to allow you to see whether your life is supporting your values. Based on a personal "JAM Type" — a unique assessment of how individuals prioritize Joy, Achievement, and Meaningfulness in life — and an inventory of weekly activities, the researchers show how to calculate your subjective value of time and capture how well the time you spend on activities aligns with your values. The accompanying free app (now available at www.YourLifeMatrix.com) maps your results onto a personalized 3x3 matrix that highlights ways you can shift your time toward higher-value activities.
Though designed to support individual growth, the LIFE Matrix is also being embraced by teams, alumni groups, and leadership development programs as a way to collectively explore how time use affects well-being. The tool offers anonymized group reporting, allowing teams to see broader patterns in how people spend non-work time and where value can be elevated.
"This isn't just a personal tool — it's a cultural one," says Perlow. "It opens the door to deeper conversations around intention, well-being, and what it truly means to perform at a high level. Even reallocating just one to two hours per week toward more valuable activities can significantly enhance overall life satisfaction and well-being, both at work and at home."
The Research
The researchers conducted multiple studies, with diverse samples of working professionals, to understand how people use their time, what is important to them in life, and what factors lead people to live more fulfilling and satisfying lives.
Their samples included over 2,000 Harvard Business School alumni, from recent graduates to those celebrating their 50th reunions, and a representative sample of over 900 working professionals from across the United States.
In each study, participants were surveyed using an app-based tool that included multiple questions to (1) determine people's individual needs for joy, achievement, and meaningfulness; (2) identify all their weekly activities, with rough time estimates for each; (3) rate each activity based on the degree of joy, achievement, and meaningfulness that the individual derived from it; and (4) rate their overall well-being and life satisfaction.
Read the full article with data and statistics in the MIT Sloan Management Review article "Time Well Spent: A New Way to Value Time Could Change Your Life," which publishes at 1 p.m. ET on May 13, 2025.
About Crafting Your Life Project
The LIFE Matrix is the signature tool of the Crafting Your Life Project, a research initiative developed out of a popular course at Harvard Business School that helps people live with greater intention. At the core of the project is a single, transformative question: Are you living in alignment with what matters most? Today, the project supports thousands of professionals, alumni, and leaders through tools that promote reflection, clarity, and meaningful change. To learn more, experience the tool firsthand, and contribute to groundbreaking research, visit www.YourLifeMatrix.com.
About Crafting Your Life Project
The LIFE Matrix is the signature tool of the Crafting Your Life Project, a research initiative born from one of Harvard Business School's most popular MBA courses. At its core is a powerful question: Are you living in alignment with what matters most? Throughout the semester, students explore this through three modules: (1) Defining a life well-lived, (2) Aligning their weekly schedules with their values, and (3) Preparing for life's inevitable disruptions. Now extending far beyond the classroom, the Crafting Your Life Project supports thousands of former students (known as "LIFERS," Harvard alumni, and leaders worldwide with tools and content that inspire reflection, clarity, and meaningful change.
To learn more, try the tool, and contribute to ongoing research, visit www.YourLifeMatrix.com.
About the Authors
Leslie Perlow is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School. Salvatore Affinito is an assistant professor of management and organizations at NYU Stern School of Business.
About MIT Sloan Management Review
MIT Sloan Management Review is an independent, research-based magazine and digital platform for business leaders published at the MIT Sloan School of Management. MIT SMR explores how leadership and management are transforming in a disruptive world. We help thoughtful leaders capture the exciting opportunities — and face down the challenges — created as technological, societal, and environmental forces reshape how organizations operate, compete, and create value.
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