How to use this template
Write the decision in one clear sentence. Then record enough context that your future self can see what was true at the time, including the things you did not know yet. A decision that looks obvious in hindsight rarely felt that way when you made it.
The section that matters most is what would change my mind. It keeps the record honest. You are not only writing down what you chose, you are naming the signal that would make the choice worth reopening, before you have any reason to defend it.
Why keep a decision journal at all
Outcomes are noisy. A good decision can end badly and a careless one can work out, so judging yourself on results alone teaches you very little. A written record lets you check the reasoning separately from the result.
It also does quieter work day to day:
- It slows down choices that deserve more than a moment.
- It stops the same question being reopened every few weeks.
- It makes tradeoffs explicit instead of assumed.
- It gives a review date to decisions that would otherwise drift.
How HourLife supports this
HourLife includes Decision Records built for this workflow: the decision, its context, options, reasoning, what would change your mind, a review reminder, linked items, and later review notes.
Because a decision can link to a goal, habit, task, or project, the reasoning stays next to the thing it affects, and Markdown export keeps a readable copy outside the app.