# Reflection Journal Card

A seven-day card for the observation / interpretation / next-action loop described in
[A Reflection Journal That Does Not Outsource Your Inner Life](/articles/ai-reflection-journal-with-boundaries).

Fill in one row per day. Keep entries short — a sentence or two per column is enough.

## Before you start

- Turn off model-training on the account you plan to use (Settings → Data Controls, or the
  equivalent), or use a temporary/incognito chat mode.
- Do not paste in another person's private information.
- If today's entry involves thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, close this card and
  see the crisis-contact guidance in [Stop the Chat](/articles/stop-chat-contact-a-person)
  instead.

## The seven-day log

| Day | Observation (facts only) | Interpretation(s) considered | Next action (chosen by you) | Did I do it? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | | | | |
| 2 | | | | |
| 3 | | | | |
| 4 | | | | |
| 5 | | | | |
| 6 | | | | |
| 7 | | | | |

## The three prompts to reuse

**1. Observation pass**

```text
Here is what happened, in my own words:
[paste your entry]

List only the observable facts — things that were said, done, or that
occurred — with no interpretation, judgment, or advice. If something in
my entry is already an interpretation rather than a fact, put it in a
separate "not a fact" list instead. Keep the total under 150 words.
```

**2. Interpretation pass**

```text
Based only on the facts above, give me three different plausible
interpretations of what might be going on — not just the most obvious
one. Label them A, B, and C. Do not tell me which is correct or most
likely; I will decide that.
```

**3. Next-action pass**

```text
I've decided my next action is: [your decision].
Help me phrase this as a short, direct message or plan. Do not add
anything I did not ask for, and do not suggest additional actions.
```

## End-of-week review

- Read back only the "next action" column. Which actions did you actually take?
- Did any day repeat the same unresolved interpretation without a next action attached?
  That is a sign to talk to a person instead of writing another entry — see
  [AI Is Not Therapy](/articles/ai-is-not-therapy).
- Delete or archive entries you do not want kept in your chat history once you have
  copied anything useful into this card.

## Weekly deletion checklist

- [ ] Exported or copied anything worth keeping out of the chat tool
- [ ] Deleted the week's conversations from chat history (or confirmed temporary-chat mode
      was used and nothing needs deleting)
- [ ] Confirmed no other person's private details were included in any entry
- [ ] Reviewed whether this week's entries would be better discussed with a trusted person