How to use this decision journal
Write an entry while the outcome is still unknown. Capture a realistic alternative, the strongest evidence for your choice, a meaningful uncertainty and the result you expect. You can be brief; the purpose is to make your thinking available for later inspection.
- Define a reviewable prediction. “The pilot will go well” is vague. “At least eight of ten participants will complete onboarding unaided by Friday” is something you can check.
- Record the original. The tool creates a timestamped entry using your device clock. It is a personal record, not a certified or tamper-proof audit log.
- Save or export. Recording alone lasts only for this page session. Save on this device for return visits, and download a backup for safekeeping.
- Return on the review date. The tool shows dates but does not send notifications. Put a reminder in your own calendar if needed.
- Append a review. Separate what happened, how reasonable the decision was at the time, and what you will change next time.
Example: testing a new working routine
Imagine deciding to try two uninterrupted morning work blocks each week. You expect to complete a draft by the end of two weeks. Your evidence is that morning interruptions are usually lower; your uncertainty is whether colleagues can shift urgent requests. You accept slower replies during those blocks and agree on an escalation route.
At review, the draft is late because the scope changed. That does not automatically mean the routine was a bad choice. Ask whether the scope change was foreseeable, whether the original plan was proportionate and whether the protected blocks actually improved progress.
Review without rewriting the past
Read the original entry before adding your interpretation. Identify what you could reasonably have checked then, what changed later and what remains uncertain. One disappointing result does not prove a method failed; one success does not establish that it is reliable.
Follow the decision-review example →
Is this journal private?
The tool does not transmit entries to a server. Optional saved data is held in this browser and is not encrypted by the application. Other people using the same browser profile may access it. See privacy and storage.
Can I edit an original entry?
You can edit the draft before recording. After recording, add a review or correction as a separate note. A downloaded backup can be modified outside the tool, so timestamps and entries are not independently verified.
For the broader framework, read Intuition Management’s decision-journal guide. To compare alternatives first, use the decision matrix.