Latest / Career Coaching with Fexingo: Professional Coaches, Career Counselors, and Guidance for Workers / How to Use a Career Decision Journal to Cut Regret
Transcript
- Lucas: So Luna, I was reading through some old notes from a mentor of mine, and she had this habit of keeping what she called a decision journal. Every time she made a significant career move, she'd write down what she expected to happen, and then six months later she'd go back and compare it to what actually happened. Luna: That sounds interesting, but a bit time-consuming. How often did she actually stick with it? Lucas: Honestly, maybe a dozen entries over a decade. But those entries were gold. She told me that reading them back showed her a pattern—she consistently overestimated how much she'd love a new job's prestige and underestimated how much she'd miss having a short commute. Luna: So it's not about journaling every day, it's about capturing the big decisions when they happen. That makes it feel a lot more doable. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what we're digging into today. We've talked about decision logs and decision matrices on this show before, but a decision journal is a bit different. It's not about scoring options against criteria, it's about recording your expectations and the reasoning behind a choice, so you can learn from it afterward. Luna: I love that. It's like a scientific experiment on your own career. You make a hypothesis, you test it, and you see what happens. Lucas: Right. And the payoff isn't just hindsight. A decision journal can actually improve your decision-making in real time. Here's the thing: when you write down why you're choosing a job or a project, you're forcing yourself to articulate the assumptions you're making. And once those assumptions are on paper, you can challenge them. Luna: So it's not just a record, it's a tool. Can you give me a concrete example? Lucas: Sure. Let's say you're a mid-career engineer, and you've been offered a role at a startup. It's exciting, it's more responsibility, but it's also riskier. In your journal, you might write, 'I expect that within six months I'll feel more energized at work because I'm building something new, and I'm willing to accept a 20 percent pay cut because the equity will be worth it in three years.' Luna: And then you look back later and realize you were wrong on one of those counts. That's where the learning happens. Lucas: Exactly. So the journal isn't about keeping a diary, it's about testing your own predictions. And there's a technique from behavioral economics that takes this to the next level. It's called a pre-mortem. Luna: A pre-mortem—I've heard of that in project management, but how does it apply to a career decision? Lucas: So a pre-mortem is where you imagine it's a year from now, and the decision you made turned out to be a disaster. Then you write down the reasons why that happened. For our engineer, that might be 'the startup ran out of funding,' 'my manager turned out to be micromanaging,' or 'I missed the stability of a big company.' Luna: And then you look at those risks and see which ones you can mitigate or accept. It's like a stress test for your decision. Lucas: Exactly. And the journal becomes the place where you do that. You write down your expected outcome, you do a pre-mortem to surface the risks, and then later you come back and see how it actually played out. It's a complete feedback loop. Luna: I have to admit, I have a friend who is a serial job hopper. She always thinks the next role will be 'the one,' and then six months later she's disillusioned. I wonder if she's ever written down what she expects before she jumps. Lucas: That's exactly the kind of pattern a decision journal can reveal. She might realize she's always expecting a new job to fix something that's actually about her own working style. But you'd never see that unless you write it down. Luna: And that's why I think this episode is so timely. We're in a moment where a lot of people are considering big career shifts. A decision journal could be the difference between a move that's genuinely right and one that's just a reaction to burnout. Lucas: Speaking of which, if this show has helped you think through a career move or decision, and you want to keep us going, a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these episodes ad-free. You can do that at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that makes a real difference for us. Luna: Yeah, and we really appreciate the listeners who've already supported us. It's what lets us keep having these conversations without interrupting them with ads. Lucas: Absolutely. So back to the journal. Once you've decided to start one, the key is to keep it simple. You don't need a fancy app or a dedicated notebook. A note on your phone works just fine. Luna: What's the minimum viable entry? If I'm making a decision next week, what do I need to write down? Lucas: Three things. First, the decision you're making. Second, what you expect to happen as a result. And third, one or two risks you're aware of. That's it. You can write it in three minutes. Luna: And then you review it later. How long should you wait? Lucas: It depends on the decision. For a job change, six months is a good window. For a smaller decision, like taking on a new project, maybe three months. The key is to schedule a reminder to review it before you forget it exists. Luna: And what do you do when you review it? Just read it and say 'oh well'? Lucas: No, you want to compare your expectations to reality. Write down what actually happened. Did you feel more energized? Was the equity worth anything? And then ask yourself what that tells you about your decision-making tendencies. Luna: I like that it's not about beating yourself up. It's about learning. Like, 'oh, I always overestimate how much I'll enjoy a new commute.' Lucas: Exactly. And once you have a few entries, you can start to see patterns. Maybe you always underestimate the importance of a good manager. Or you consistently overvalue a fancy title. Those insights are worth more than any career advice you'll read online. Luna: So is there a downside? Any reason someone wouldn't want to do this? Lucas: The only risk is if you use it to second-guess yourself constantly. But that's not what this is for. It's not about regret, it's about learning. And actually, there's a fascinating study that shows people who document their decisions are more confident in them later, even if the outcome wasn't perfect. Luna: That makes sense. It's like you've made peace with the trade-offs because you wrote them down upfront. Lucas: Right. And that's a huge benefit when you're in a job that didn't turn out as expected. Instead of spiraling into 'why did I ever take this job,' you can look back and say, 'I knew the risks, I made the best call with the information I had, and here's what I learned.' Luna: That's a much healthier way to live, honestly. I think a lot of career regret comes from not remembering why we made the choices we did. Lucas: Exactly. So if you're on the fence about a big decision, or if you've made a few moves that didn't pan out, I'd encourage you to start a decision journal today. You'll thank yourself in six months. Luna: And if you're already a journal person, you could probably integrate this into your existing practice. Just add a section for decisions. Lucas: Totally. And if you're new to journaling, start small. One decision, three lines, and a reminder to check back. That's the whole thing. Luna: I'm actually going to start one this week. I have a feeling I'm going to learn something about myself. Lucas: That's the spirit. And if our listeners want to share their own decision journal stories, we'd love to hear them. But for now, let's just say: write it down, and see what surprises you. Luna: Well said. Until next time, keep making those decisions—and maybe keep a little record of them.