When I leave my empty Dota 2 lobby, I used to jump straight into a queue. The lobby had told me something, and ten minutes later I could not say what. So I added a tiny step between the two: I write two lines before I press the button.
Line one: what changed for me
One sentence, in plain words, about the thing that surprised me. "My first ability reaches a bit later than last week" is enough. If nothing surprised me, I write "nothing" and mean it. An honest "nothing" is worth more to me than an invented observation.
Dota 2 screenshot — © Valve, official Steam store page.
Line two: what I will do differently
This is a single action for my first game, not a plan for the evening. "Cast the first ability from slightly closer" or "wait one more second before I walk in." It has to be something I can notice myself doing, so that after the game I can say yes or no.
Why only two lines
Three lines turn into a list, and a list turns into homework. Two lines fit on a sticky note next to the monitor, and I can read them in the three seconds the queue timer gives me. If I want to write more, it goes in the longer notebook for the weekend.
What I do after the first game
I look at the note for a moment. Did I do the thing from line two? If yes, I keep it for the next game. If no, I do not blame myself; I simply move it to the front of the next note. After three games the line either becomes a habit or quietly disappears.
The step before this one
The lobby itself and the reason it only needs a short slot are described in a note about fifteen minutes before ranked. The two lines are what I carry out of that room and into the game.