Reviewing the journal six or twelve months later separates good decisions from lucky ones and bad decisions from unlucky ones.
Glossary
Decision Journal
Write it down before you know.
In short
A written log in which a decision-maker records — before the outcome is known — the question being decided, the options considered, the reasoning behind the chosen path, the predicted outcome, and the confidence level. Popularized by Daniel Kahneman, Annie Duke, and Shane Parrish, decision journals are the highest-leverage tool for improving decision quality over time because they neutralize hindsight bias.
Last reviewed
In SynthBoard
Where it shows up.
The product, not the theory.
In Your World.
What you tell her, paste or photograph becomes facts, each with where it came from. Nothing is kept until you say it’s still true, and anything can be forgotten.
Or ask one expert.
The Scientist takes it — about a minute, and the card shows “up to 85 credits” before anything runs. Nothing runs until you tap.
Keep reading
Related terms.
Term
Decision Fatigue
The deterioration of decision quality that occurs after a prolonged period of decision-making.
Definition TermDecision Intelligence
A discipline that applies data science, social science, and artificial intelligence to systematically improve the quality of decisions.
Definition TermDecision Matrix
A structured table for comparing multiple options against multiple criteria.
Definition TermDecision Memo
The terminal artifact of a deliberation: a written record of the recommendation, the reasoning behind it, the dissents that survived debate, the assumptions it depends on, and the next steps it implies.
Definition TermDecision Paralysis
The inability to commit to a decision despite having sufficient information, typically caused by fear of regret, perceived irreversibility, or the absence of a clear decision rule.
Definition GuideDecision intelligence, explained
The complete guide to making strategic calls with AI that disagrees on purpose.
Read the guide The benchMeet the experts
24 named experts, each with a point of view of their own.
Meet themSynthBoard (synthboard.ai) is one place for your business, your life, and every hard call. Your Chief of Staff keeps what you tell her on file, and 24 named experts on different AI models take the calls — one expert for a consult, a board with opposed seats for the hard ones — and hand back a memo with the call, the dissent and the first move. How it works.
