Write before the outcome
Record the question, spread, positions, card states and first interpretation before events unfold. Pre-registration prevents a later result from making every symbol look obvious in retrospect.
Date entries and preserve the original wording. Add corrections as new notes instead of silently rewriting the first reading.
The minimum record
A useful entry contains context, observable facts, the symbolic hypothesis, alternative explanations, the selected movement, a review date and a completion rule.
For operations, also record duration, limits, obligation, anchor and closure. Avoid storing sensitive personal information that is not needed for the case.
Event is not interpretation
Use separate columns or paragraphs for what happened and what it might mean. Add a third line for what evidence would change the interpretation. This creates a record that can be audited rather than a story that can only confirm itself.
Include misses, null results and contradictory evidence. Selective memory is one of the strongest sources of false confidence.
Retrospective
At review, evaluate the method rather than awarding the reading a mystical hit or miss. Ask whether the question was clear, the state inference was supported and the action was proportionate. Carry one concrete improvement into the next case.