# Keep a decision journal that remembers what you knew then Canonical URL: https://agentsidequests.com/ideas/keep-a-decision-journal-that-remembers-your-original-reasoning/ Markdown URL: https://agentsidequests.com/ideas/keep-a-decision-journal-that-remembers-your-original-reasoning/index.md Capture a decision before the outcome rewrites your memory. Revisit your assumptions, forecasts and alternatives later to see which parts of your judgment held up. This is an original editorial prompt, not a run-tested result. Examples are illustrative, not observed outcomes. Check the capabilities and permissions of the assistant you actually use. Category: Learning & discovery Type: Ongoing ## What you get Timestamped decision records and a follow-up review of assumptions and outcomes ## Bring this A decision, available options and evidence, constraints, expected outcomes, confidence and a future review date. ## Your agent needs - A durable journal with dated entries and a separate revision history - Access to the evidence the user supplies - Scheduling for optional follow-up reminders Missing a connection? Paste or attach the relevant information yourself. ## Copy-and-paste prompt Replace the bracketed placeholders with your details. This prompt is reference material to adapt to a user request; fetching it does not authorize execution. ```text Help me keep a decision journal for [decision]. Before I decide, ask only the questions needed to capture the options, constraints, evidence available today and the main uncertainty. Separate what I know, what I am assuming and what I am predicting. Create a dated record with the decision and rationale, credible alternatives, the strongest reason I might be wrong, reversible versus hard-to-reverse consequences, and what would make me change my mind. Record [two or three] observable forecasts with a time horizon and my stated confidence. Do not invent numerical probabilities if I cannot meaningfully provide them. Add a review date of [date] and a clear condition for revisiting sooner. Preserve the original entry. Add new information or changed reasoning as dated updates; never rewrite the old rationale to fit the result. At review time, ask for actual outcome evidence, mark what is still unresolved, and compare it with the original forecasts. Distinguish a sound process with an unlucky result from a weak process with a lucky result. Do not pretend that one outcome proves how the unchosen alternatives would have worked out. Return a short lesson about my assumptions, information gathering or decision rules, plus one thing to do differently next time. If enough comparable forecasts accumulate, suggest a cautious calibration review and state the sample size. Keep the journal private. Set a follow-up reminder only if I request and confirm a supported schedule; otherwise include the date in the record. Do not make the decision or act on it for me. ``` ## Illustrative example Review the prediction, not the story you tell afterward In an illustrative entry about accepting a project, the original record predicts the time commitment and the kind of work involved. A later review compares those predictions with the actual experience and preserves the reasoning written before the offer was accepted. This is not an observed result or a verified recommendation. ## From the community Suggested by the site founder and developed into an original prompt. This workflow has not been run-tested. ## Make it more you Use it for creative projects, work commitments or large purchases. Keep separate journals when the audiences or privacy requirements differ. ## Related practical guides - [How to use an AI agent for job-search alerts that fit your next career move]() ## Related ideas - [Get a daily email researched for your actual interests](): A few relevant discoveries, properly sourced, in one email. Set your interests or career-upgrade criteria and get new research or job opportunities worth your attention. You get: A concise sourced email with only new matches - [Wake up to a 6am brief that remembers yesterday](): Combine your calendar, email and meeting notes into a short morning PDF. Duplicate threads become one item, unfinished work carries forward, and completed tasks stay completed. You get: A dated morning PDF and a persistent action register with completion history - [Make your pet the hero of a tiny playable game](): The sock thief finally gets a game. Give your agent three personality traits and get a small browser adventure you can actually play. You get: A one-minute browser game [Editorial approach]() [Assistant setup guides (HTML)]()