Decision journal entries need six fields captured before…
When recording a decision in a journal, capture six mandatory elements before outcome is known: date/time, one-sentence decision, reasoning chain, expected outcome (falsifiable), confidence percentage, and current mental/physical state.
When This Fires
- When making any significant decision worth learning from
- For all one-way door decisions (Classify every decision as one-way or two-way door before…) — mandatory
- For consequential two-way door decisions — recommended
- When building a decision-quality improvement practice over months and years
Common Failure Mode
Journaling after outcomes: "Let me record that decision I made last month — the one that turned out badly." This is learning from outcomes, not learning from process. You'll reconstruct your reasoning to match the outcome, missing the actual errors in your pre-decision thinking. If you didn't journal before the outcome, the learning opportunity is severely compromised.
The Protocol
(1) At the moment of making a significant decision, before you know the outcome, write: Date/time: when the decision was made. Decision: one sentence stating what you chose. Reasoning: the key factors and logic that led to this choice (3-5 bullet points). Expected outcome: a falsifiable prediction — "I expect [specific measurable result] by [date]." Confidence: a percentage (0-100%) expressing how likely you think your expected outcome is. State: your current mental/physical state — rested/tired, calm/stressed, rushed/deliberate. (2) Close the entry and don't revisit until the outcome window has passed. (3) Review using the three-step protocol (Review decisions in three steps) to extract maximum learning while defeating hindsight bias.