Whatever Works

A toolkit for self optimization

1.9 Log Your Life

Record major decisions for later review.

Motivation

Creating a decision log allows you to record and reflect on both the decisions you make as well as their consequences, enabling you to make better decisions in the future. By tracking what you choose to do and the outcomes of your choices, you set yourself up to learn valuable lessons and make future decisions from a more informed place.

Benefits

The act of stopping to record a decision gives it more weight and allows you to course correct if needed.
A structured review of past decisions and their outcomes can help you calibrate your internal compass toward more beneficial choices.

Challenges

The added bureaucracy can be burdensome if applied too widely.

Application

Create a document recording the date you made a decision, what you chose, and why you made it. You may also want to add space for comments about the consequences or any other relevant info. You can update this log in real time, following significant developments, or spend a few minutes each week reflecting on recent major decisions you’ve taken.

The next step is to integrate a review process to assess past decisions. You can do this on a monthly or quarterly cadence and observe not just decisions but also their outcomes. Ideally, you will create a feedback loop where you’ll record your decisions and then take the time to assess their consequences on a regular basis. This review informs and improves your future decisions. As you repeat this process, you build on the insights gleaned from each iteration of the decision review process, thereby making better and better decisions.