Plans & Reflections
Two special journal entry purposes: plans at the start of a period, and retrospections at the end. Each is limited to one per period, and they show up as dedicated slots on the Lifegrid.
What a Plan Entry Is For
A plan entry is written at the start of a time period to set intentions: what you want from the week, what you're focusing on this month, what your year's theme is.
- One plan per period - you get exactly one plan for any given day/week/month/year.
- Available anytime - you can write a plan for a past, present, or future period.
- Shows up as a slot on the Lifegrid period card - empty until written, filled once you've saved an entry.
Plans can be free-write or guided - your choice.
What a Retrospection Entry Is For
A retrospection (or "reflection") entry is written at the end of a period to look back: what went well, what didn't, what you learned.
- One retrospection per period - exactly one reflection for each day/week/month/year.
- Limited window - retrospections can only be written near the end of the period. A weekly retrospection is available the last couple days of the week; a monthly retrospection in the last week; a yearly retrospection in December.
- Appears as a slot on the Lifegrid period card during its window.
The time-window limit on retrospections is deliberate - it preserves the "looking back on a completed period" feel. Writing a year-end retrospection in February would feel off.
Time Period Pairing
Plans and retrospections pair naturally with the four time periods:
| Period | Plan Slot | Retrospection Slot |
|---|---|---|
| Day | Morning journal | Evening review |
| Week | Monday planning | Friday/Sunday review |
| Month | First-of-month intent | Last week of the month |
| Year | New Year goals | Year-end retrospective |
Most players use one or two of these regularly - a daily evening review plus a monthly plan is a common pattern. You don't have to use all four levels.
Why Both Matter
Plan + reflect
The plan captures intent; the retrospection captures reality. Reading them side by side later (the Lifegrid makes this easy) is where the real value lives. You wrote "I want to ship the app this month" on day 1; on day 30 you write "I shipped 60% of it, got stuck on auth, next month I tackle auth first." Over time, the gap between plan and reality tells you a lot about how you actually work.
Finding Plans and Retrospections Later
Every plan and retrospection is searchable in the Adventure Journal, filterable by purpose type. You can also filter the global journal list to just your plans or just your retrospections to see them across time.
On the Lifegrid, a period's plan and retrospection slots show the entry's headline once it's written - quick at-a-glance context when you're looking at that period.
Editing After Saving
Both plans and retrospections are editable after saving. You can return to a plan mid-period to refine it, or come back to a retrospection to add more thoughts.
Editing doesn't reset the one-per-period limit - the same entry is updated, not a new one created.
Rewards
Plans and retrospections earn the same rewards as any other journal entry - silver, XP scaled by length, arena tickets (if it's the day's first entry), and AI analysis (for daily entries).
There's no special bonus for writing a plan and a retrospection for the same period, but doing both is its own reward in terms of self-awareness.