A decision journal for choices you want to understand
A decision journal records what you knew when you chose, before the outcome makes everything seem obvious. It can be a plain notebook with a few dated entries, used for meaningful choices rather than every small preference.
Capture the view from today
Write the decision, the options you considered and the information still missing. Note what you expect to happen and what would surprise you. For example, if you volunteer to lead a project, record the time you think it will require and the support you expect. Describe your reasoning in ordinary language. The point is to preserve the assumptions behind the choice, not to build an elaborate scoring model that pretends uncertainty has disappeared.
Review the reasoning as well as the result
Choose a review date when you should have useful evidence. An inconvenient result does not automatically mean the decision was careless; a lucky result does not prove every assumption was sound. Look for an estimate you could improve, an unanswered question you should have asked or a risk you understood correctly. Keep personal details private if the decision involves other people.
Try this, one step at a time
- Record one upcoming choice, two alternatives and the main uncertainty.
- Write your expected result before making the choice, with a realistic review date.
- At the review, identify one lesson about your process and one thing still unknown.
Original editorial ideas, published September 7, 2026. These are optional experiments to adapt to your circumstances, not promises of a particular result.