Who this is for
Decision-makers who want to calibrate their judgment by recording predictions and later checking them against reality.
The moment this saves you
I make decisions, they work out or they don't, and I never learn anything because I only judge them by the outcome, not by whether my reasoning at the time was actually sound.
See it work
Messy spoken thought in. A clean, structured artifact out.
Decision journal entry. I'm deciding to pause our paid ads entirely for the next quarter and put everything into content and SEO instead. My reasoning is the paid channel ROI has been declining and content compounds, but it's slow. What I predict, I think organic traffic will be flat for two months then start climbing, and I expect overall leads to dip maybe 20% in the short term before recovering. My confidence is about 60%, this is a real bet. The thing I'm most unsure about is whether we have the patience to stick with it when leads dip. I'll review this in three months against what actually happened.
Decision journal, June 5, 2026
- Decision: Pause all paid ads next quarter, shift everything to content and SEO
- Reasoning: Declining paid ROI; content compounds (but slowly)
- Prediction: Organic flat ~2 months then climbs; overall leads dip ~20% short-term before recovering
- Confidence: ~60% (a real bet)
- Biggest uncertainty: Whether we'll have the patience to hold when leads dip
- Review date: In 3 months, compare to what actually happened
The workflow
Record a voice note
Hit the hotkey and talk, no formatting, no typing.
Tag it with this context
Contextli shapes your words into the structured output above.
Find it later
Everything's searchable and organised by context.
Pull it into Claude or ChatGPT
Bring your contexts straight into your AI tools with the Contextli MCP.
Your raw recording and transcription stay on your device, so you can always go back to the original.
The prompt behind this context
I'm going to record a decision and predict its outcome. Turn it into a dated decision-journal entry: a bold "Decision journal, [today's date]" heading, then labeled lines: Decision (what I'm doing), Reasoning (why), Prediction (what I expect to happen, with specifics and any numbers), Confidence (a percentage if I give one), Biggest uncertainty (what I'm least sure about), and Review date (when to check). Keep my predictions and numbers exact, this is for later calibration. Don't invent predictions or confidence I didn't state. Output only the entry.
Make it your own. This is a starting point. Once it's in Contextli, tweak the instructions so the output comes out exactly how you like it.
Use this context
One click copies it and shows you exactly how to drop it into Contextli.
Next, open Contextli, go to the Contexts page, click Import, choose From JSON, paste, then Import Context. It is ready to use.
Make it your own. This is a starting point. Once it's in Contextli, tweak the instructions so the output comes out exactly how you like it.
Your raw recording and transcription stay on your device, so you can always go back to the original.
Related contexts
Decision Rationale Note
You make a real call, hiring, vendor, strategy, and the reasoning lives only in your head until someone questions it months later. Talk through what you chose and why, what you weighed, what you gave up. You keep the rationale, ready to defend or revisit.
Investment Thesis Note
You get conviction on a stock or deal, buy in, and months later forget why, so you can't tell if the thesis broke or you're just spooked. Talk it through now, the bet, the risks, what would prove you wrong. Future-you gets a record to check against.
Weekly Review
Sunday rolls around and you mean to review the week, but staring at a template kills it. Just talk through what got done, what slipped, and what you learned. You get a structured weekly review you'll actually reread next Sunday.
Questions people ask
Questions founders ask about Decision Journal
What is the best way to track expenses on the go?
The most reliable method is to log each item the moment it happens, before you forget it. The Decision Journal context lets you speak the details in plain language and produces an expense entry with amount, category, and date. You capture it in under 20 seconds, without a receipt app or a spreadsheet.
How do I keep track of expenses without a complicated app?
Open Contextli, select the Decision Journal context, and speak it as it happens: what it was for, how much, and the category. The context formats it into an expense entry. At the end of the month you have a log of every entry in a consistent format, ready to hand to your accountant.
Can I log expenses by voice instead of typing?
Yes. The Decision Journal context is built for exactly this workflow. Speak the details in natural language and the context structures them into an expense entry with the relevant fields. The recording stays on your device.
What should each entry include for tax purposes?
For tax purposes, each entry should include the date, the amount, the business purpose, the vendor or payee, and the category. The Decision Journal context captures all of these from your spoken description. Consult your accountant or tax advisor to confirm what records your jurisdiction requires.
How do I add this context to Contextli?
Copy the context on this page, then open Contextli and go to the Contexts page. Click Import, choose From JSON, paste it into the Import from Clipboard window, and click Import Context. It is ready to use in under 30 seconds. If you do not have Contextli yet, you can download it for free first.
Is my voice recording private? Does Contextli send it anywhere?
Your voice recording and the transcription are stored on your device only. Contextli processes your audio locally and does not send your recordings or transcription text to any server. The structured output it produces is text you control, and you decide where it goes.
Can I change what the output looks like?
Yes. Every context in Contextli is a starting point you can edit. Open the context in the app, change the instructions to adjust the structure, tone, or fields, and save. The next time you use it, the output reflects your changes. You are not locked into the default format.
Do I need to install an app to use this context?
Yes. Contextli is a free app. Download it, then copy this context and paste it into the Import from Clipboard window on the Contexts page. The whole process takes about 30 seconds.