SecondPen.aiDecision journal template
Origin: Recommended by Daniel Kahneman and Annie Duke (Thinking in Bets, 2018); popularized by Farnam Street.
Sections
- Decision
- Context
- Options
- Expected outcome & probability
- Mental/physical state
- Review date
How a tough reader scores it
When you score a draft against this format, the Critic evaluates this decision journal entry. The weights add up to 100; the fixes for the weakest criteria arrive as cards in the editor.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Expected outcome is specific with a probability | 25 |
| Reasoning is written down before the outcome is known | 20 |
| Alternatives were real | 15 |
| States what would prove me wrong | 20 |
| Emotional state recorded | 10 |
| Review date set | 10 |
How it works in SecondPen.ai
Open the template and the editor writes the blank once, with a line of guidance under each heading that you delete as you fill it in. Write your abstract and the editor names the format it reads like. Ask for a document with a slash command and it offers to start from the matching format. When the draft is ready, the Critic scores it against the criteria above, the way this format's toughest reader would, and the three highest-leverage fixes become Editor cards.
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