How do I practice observation journal?

The most direct way to practice observation journal is through a focused exercise: Choose one event from today — a conversation, a meeting, something you read. Open a blank page and draw a vertical line down the middle. Label the left column 'I observed' and the right column 'I interpreted.' Fill the left column first, writing only sensory-level facts: what was said, what happened, what you saw. Only after exhausting the left column, move to the right. Notice how many different interpretations the same observations can support.

Common pitfall: Believing you're recording observations when you're actually recording conclusions wearing observational clothing. 'He was defensive' feels like an observation but it's an interpretation of specific behaviors (crossed arms, raised voice, deflection) that you skipped recording. The test: could a camera capture it? If not, it's not observation yet.

This practice connects to Phase 5 (Observation Without Judgment) — building it as a repeatable habit compounds over time.