Question
Why does decision journal fail?
Quick Answer
Recording only the decision without the reasoning. A list of 'what I decided' is a changelog, not a decision journal. The value lives entirely in the 'why' — the assumptions, the constraints, the alternatives considered. Without that context, your future self has nothing to evaluate and nothing to.
The most common reason decision journal fails: Recording only the decision without the reasoning. A list of 'what I decided' is a changelog, not a decision journal. The value lives entirely in the 'why' — the assumptions, the constraints, the alternatives considered. Without that context, your future self has nothing to evaluate and nothing to learn from.
The fix: Pick one decision you made in the past week — it doesn't have to be big. Write down: (1) what you decided, (2) the 2-3 reasons that drove the decision, (3) what you expected to happen, and (4) what alternatives you rejected and why. Time yourself. This should take under 5 minutes. If it takes longer, you're over-thinking the format and under-practicing the habit.
The underlying principle is straightforward: Record not just what you decided but why — because your future self will rewrite the reasoning after the fact, and you will never notice it happening.
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