Above or Below the Line Check-In
Use random prompts to catch threat states and return to trust
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 97%
The Above or Below the Line Check-In turns self-awareness into a repeated daily practice. Diana Chapman uses MindJogger to display a basic question at seven random times each day: is she above the line in trust or below the line in threat? When the prompt appears, she pauses, locates her state, and checks rather than allowing momentum to conceal it. She compares the repetition to lifting weights every day. Additional prompts rotate around commitments and current developmental needs, such as identifying a feeling, appreciating someone nearby, asking whether there is enough time, or assessing whether the moment feels exquisite and fully alive. The mechanism is interruption plus repetition: a random cue breaks automatic behavior, the question makes the current state explicit, and a deliberate adjustment can restore presence before reactivity shapes the next interaction.
Origin
Extracted from The Tim Ferriss Show. Diana Chapman said she still uses MindJogger every day and receives the line check seven random times daily.
Core principles
- 01State awareness improves through repeated interruption
- 02Above the line corresponds to trust
- 03Below the line corresponds to threat
- 04A short pause can reveal scarcity, disconnection, or misalignment
How to run it
- 1
Install random cues
Use a reminder tool to ask the line question at unpredictable times across the day.
Pro tip Diana uses seven random prompts per day.
Watch out Predictable reminders can become easier to ignore as part of a routine.
- 2
Pause and locate
Stop briefly and ask whether you are above the line in trust or below the line in threat.
Watch out Answer from the present state rather than the state you think you should have.
- 3
Add a live question
Rotate another prompt tied to a commitment or pattern you are practicing, such as feeling, appreciation, enough time, or whole body yes.
Pro tip Speak appreciation aloud when that is the selected prompt.
- 4
Return to presence
Use the awareness to pause, release scarcity or threat where possible, and choose the next response deliberately.
In the wild
MindJogger asks Diana at seven random times whether she is above the line in trust or below the line in threat. She pauses, looks, and checks her current state each time.
→ Repeated interruption strengthens state awareness as a daily practice.
A prompt asks whether she is experiencing enough time right now. When it reveals scarcity, she stops and returns attention to the present moment.
→ An automatic scarcity state becomes visible and can be interrupted.
Common mistakes
Answering aspirationally
The check loses value if you report the state you want rather than the trust or threat actually present.
Collecting prompts without pausing
The reminder is only a cue. The practice requires stopping long enough to inspect and respond to the current state.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people who understand self-awareness concepts but forget to apply them during a busy day.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal as a substitute for deeper support when a threat state is persistent or clinically significant.
From the transcript
“Where are you? Are you above the line, meaning are you in a state of trust, or are you below the line in a state…”
“So I ask that I have it seven times randomly per day. It pops on my screen. And I pause and look and check.”
“Are you experiencing enough time right now?”
From the episode
#536: Diana Chapman — How to Get Unstuck, Do “The Work,” Take Radical Responsibility, and Reduce Drama in Your Life
Diana Chapman