I failed recently in making a decision a few months ago that was largely an emotional decision. And that emotion was fear. I put myself in a scenario that I was not living true-enough to my values and that doesn’t feel right for me. On the other hand, I wondered if I wasn’t giving my decision enough of a chance… so I decided to write it out on an index card with prompts inspired by Farnam’s Street’s Decision Journal.

Here’s the outline I used:

• Date, time, and how I am currently feeling;

• What I intend to do.

• What’s happening that’s causing me to think that’s the best decision;

• Tactical/objective problem statement in addition to the previous bullet point’s story;

• Identified potential problems for me and for others impacted by the decision;

• Identified and described alternatives that I considered;

• Described the range of potential outcomes;

• Set an expectation for what will most (and least) likely happen.

Now… it’s on me to decide. After I decide and act, I am going to fill out the last few sections on my index card:

• Describe the outcome.

• 6 month review learnings: what did I learn from that decision?

I used Farnam Street’s prompts, but am choosing an index card versus a piece of paper. I think I will start making a collection of “decision journal” index cards that I will keep.

I encourage you to try this out. And if you do, I recommend highly that you use a pencil or pen to write out your decision. Iff dancing is how you physicalize music, then hand writing is how you physicalize your thoughts.

Pro Tip for People Managers: I will be doing this for myself at work and I will be encouraging direct reports to do this… this could be the best way to improve critical thinking and decision-making skills!