How to Keep a Decision Journal: A Simple 5-Step Template

A decision journal is a short record of how you made an important choice—not a diary of every option you considered. Writing down your reasoning before you know the outcome helps you review the quality of your process later, rather than judging the decision only by whether things went well.

Use this for everyday choices that matter to you, such as taking on a new commitment or changing a routine. It is a reflection tool, not a substitute for qualified medical, legal or financial advice.

A five-step decision-journal template

1. State the decision and the deadline

Write the choice in one plain sentence and note when you need to decide. Keep the question narrow enough to answer. “Should I accept the Saturday volunteer shift this month?” is easier to reason through than “How should I spend my time?”

2. List realistic options—including waiting

Write the options you could genuinely choose, including “wait until Friday” or “say no” when those are real possibilities. This prevents a false either/or and makes the cost of delaying visible.

3. Separate facts, assumptions and unknowns

Use three short headings. Under Facts, record what you know. Under Assumptions, write what you expect but have not verified. Under Unknowns, list information that could still change your choice. This is often where the useful next question appears.

4. Record what you expect and why

For each serious option, note the likely benefit, the main trade-off and what you think will happen. If a confidence rating helps, use a simple low/medium/high label rather than pretending to calculate a precise probability. The goal is to preserve your reasoning, not to make a forecast look scientific.

5. Choose one next action and a review date

Write what you will do next, even if that action is to gather one missing fact or revisit the choice on a named date. A review date turns the entry into a learning loop instead of an unfinished list.

Copy-and-use decision journal page

• Date and decision deadline:
• The decision in one sentence:
• Options (including wait/no action):
• Facts I know:
• Assumptions and unknowns:
• What I expect from each option—and why:
• Next action:
• Date to review:

A low-stakes example

Imagine you are deciding whether to take an extra volunteer shift. The facts might be that the shift is four hours and you already have plans Sunday morning. An assumption might be that a friend can swap with you; the unknown is whether they are available. Your next step could be to ask them before Thursday, then decide by Friday. The entry makes the choice clearer without pretending you can predict exactly how you will feel afterward.

Review the process, not just the result

At the review date, note what happened and what you could reasonably have known at the time. Ask: Which assumption was accurate? What information mattered most? Did I follow the priorities I wrote down? Would I use the same process next time? A good outcome does not automatically mean the reasoning was sound, and an unlucky outcome does not automatically mean the choice was poor.

If you prefer a paper record, the A5 Vintage Romance Hardcover Journal is one option for keeping entries together. Its real Shopify product photo is below. Browse the Notebooks & Journals collection for other formats, and see our journaling for beginners guide for help choosing a writing routine.

FAQ

How often should I write in a decision journal?

Only when a choice matters enough that you want to remember your reasoning. A single concise entry is more useful than tracking every small decision.

What should I write if I do not know what to choose?

Record what is known, what is uncertain and the next piece of information that would help. If there is no deadline, set a date to revisit rather than repeating the same pros-and-cons list each day.