Decision Journal: What It Does, Who It’s For, Who Should Skip It
3 min read
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Click hereto see it→Click to see current decision journal options
Write the decision and the reasons before the outcome. The only way to learn whether you think well.
The problem it solves
Hindsight rewrites memory. People remember being right, forget being lucky, and never improve their judgment because they never audit it.
What it is
A notebook with a template per decision: situation, options, what you expect to happen and why, confidence level, review date, and a page for the actual outcome.
Who it is for
Managers, investors, founders, and anyone who makes consequential choices and wants to get better at it.
How to use it so it sticks
Log every decision that takes more than a day to reverse. Set a calendar reminder for the review date. Score your reasoning, not just the result.
Who should skip it
If your work has few high-stakes decisions, a plain notebook with a monthly review suffices.
Verdict
The single best tool for improving judgment. Almost nobody uses one.
Click hereto see it→Click to see current decision journal options
Pairs well with
Tools rarely work alone; a routine is a small system. Three that fit beside this one:
Rechargeable Clip-On Reading Light
Thirty pages a night, without waking anyone or reaching for the phone. Read the review.
Index Cards and Box
One idea per card. The oldest knowledge system still beats most apps. Read the review.
Large Dry-Erase Whiteboard
Plans on a wall get argued with. Plans in your head do not. Read the review.
Two books to go with it
Range by David Epstein
The case for late starts and broad experience — reassuring after fifty.
Range (paperback) Click hereto see it→
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Why your snap judgments are wrong in predictable ways — and when to slow down.
Thinking, Fast and Slow (paperback) Click hereto see it→
Links are affiliate links; the price to you is identical. Nothing here is medical, financial or professional advice. Filed under Mindset & Beliefs.
More picks, with pictures
Three tools and three books that fit the same goal. Each has its own full review here, including who should skip it.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Images are our own review cards, not product photos.
Launch list
Be there on day one.
One email when the book opens on Kickstarter. Nothing else. Already reading the book? Your Cheat Sheet is at wisdomdeck.com/free.
Coming soon on 
The book itself — 40 laws in ten parts, 320 pages, each ending with The Work — is funded first on Kickstarter.
