Personal Climate Action Venn Diagram
Match your strengths, a needed solution, and joy to find durable leverage
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 99%
The Personal Climate Action Venn Diagram finds a bespoke role at the overlap of three circles: what you are good at, which part of the transformation you want to work on, and what brings you joy. Begin with assets you already possess, including skills, resources, networks, and influence. Then select one solution area from a problem too large for any person to address in full. Finally, filter for work that energizes you enough to continue. Power mapping turns the overlap into action by locating institutions where you already have leverage, such as a company, church, sports team, profession, or city. The output is not a generic gesture but a durable contribution that can help shift a larger system.
Origin
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson described the three-circle Venn diagram on The Tim Ferriss Show and illustrated it with her coastal-cities think tank and a friend's sustainable investing fund.
Core principles
- 01Different people should contribute in different ways
- 02Existing roles and networks often contain the strongest leverage
- 03No one person needs to work on every solution
- 04Joy makes long-term contribution more sustainable
- 05Individual action matters most when it supports larger change
How to run it
- 1
Inventory what you bring
List what you are good at, including skills, superpowers, networks, resources, and positions of influence. Treat existing relationships and institutional access as assets, not background details.
Pro tip Look first at places where people already trust your judgment.
Watch out Do not default to the same generic action everyone else is taking.
- 2
Choose one solution area
Select the part of the larger transformation that most interests you. Narrow the field to a specific domain such as transport, food, energy, culture, finance, policy, or coastal resilience.
Pro tip Choose one piece of the puzzle rather than trying to cover the entire problem.
Watch out Do not confuse caring about the whole problem with needing to work on every part of it.
- 3
Filter for joy
Ask which forms of contribution energize you and could keep you engaged for a long time. Prefer work that invites persistence and makes you want to involve others.
Pro tip If the work is voluntary, be especially strict about choosing a form you enjoy.
Watch out A role that feels like a miserable slog is unlikely to survive.
- 4
Find the overlap
Combine the strongest candidate from each circle into a specific role. State what you can do, which solution it advances, and why you will continue doing it.
Pro tip Describe the overlap as a project or behavior rather than a broad identity.
- 5
Map existing power
Identify the company, profession, community, team, church, or local institution where you already have influence. Look for a system you can change from the inside instead of starting somewhere you have no network or power.
Pro tip Ask which decision, policy, product, budget, or norm you can affect where you already are.
Watch out Do not assume quitting your job or joining a nonprofit is the only serious contribution.
- 6
Act through your leverage
Take a concrete action that links your individual effort to larger-scale change. Build, fund, persuade, organize, redesign, invest, teach, or change policy according to the overlap you found.
Pro tip Compare the action with generic alternatives and choose the one where your leverage is greatest.
Watch out An isolated personal gesture is weaker when it does not support wider change.
In the wild
Johnson combined marine biology, growing up in a coastal city, policy expertise, and an interest in design. She co-founded a think tank focused on helping coastal cities change policy and adapt to coming climate impacts.
→ Her existing knowledge and interests became a specific institution working on coastal policy.
Johnson's friend Boris, an executive at Betterment, initially asked whether he should attend another climate march. She urged him to change his company; nine months later, he launched its sustainable investing fund.
→ He used substantially more leverage through his existing executive role than through repeating a generic action.
Ferriss identified interviewing compelling builders, highlighting climate-related entrepreneurs, and directing much of his early-stage investing toward relevant startups as his contribution. These choices matched his audience, storytelling platform, investing experience, and enthusiasm for market-driven technology.
→ He defined a role that could attract attention and capital while fitting work he already did.
Common mistakes
Giving everyone the same assignment
Generic instructions such as march, donate, vote, or spread the word ignore differences in skill and leverage. Two people doing the same low-leverage task can waste both sets of strengths.
Starting outside your sphere of influence
Jumping into an entirely new arena can discard the network and power already available in your work or community.
Choosing a role that drains you
A worthy activity that brings no joy may become an unsustainable slog. The framework explicitly treats energy as a condition for durable action.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who want to contribute to a complex cause without abandoning their career, community, or existing commitments.
Not ideal for
Emergency situations that require everyone to follow the same immediate safety action.
From the transcript
“this idea of power mapping of figuring out where you actually have the ability to make change i think is a really important step”
“the first one is what are you good at what superpowers what skills are you bringing to the table your network your resources what you…”
“the third circle is what brings you joy”
From the episode
#570: Marine Biologist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson on How to Catalyze Change with Awe and Wonder, How to Save the Planet, Finding Your Unique Venn Diagram of Strength, and Seeking the Minimum Effective Dose
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson