Living Signal

A journaling method for preserving meaning across time, context, and interpretation
Author: Aaron Sahlstrom

About the Methodology

Living Signal is a human-first journaling methodology designed to preserve lived experience in a way that remains natural to write, meaningful to reread, and structurally legible to large language models over time.

Its deeper aim is to allow a coherent persona to emerge over time, not a fictional character, but a faithful reflection of the author’s voice, values, patterns of thought, and lived experience. By preserving context, signaling insight, and maintaining continuity across entries, Living Signal enables future readers (human or machine) to engage with that persona as something recognizable, consistent, and meaningfully alive.

The journal is not written for a model. It is written for the self, in a way that allows understanding to persist beyond memory, medium, or moment.

Core Principles

Write for humans first. If a structure interferes with honest expression, remove it.
Minimize imposed structure. Structure exists only where it meaningfully improves recall or interpretation.
Signal only when meaning crystallizes. Not every entry needs emphasis. Signal moments emerge naturally.

Design Goals

Living Signal is designed to:

Preserve the natural act of journaling without turning writing into data entry
Make moments of meaning explicit when they matter, and invisible when they do not
Support long-term memory, reflection, and continuity across years
Enable accurate retrieval and synthesis by future language models without requiring tagging or rigid schemas
Serve as a foundation for a living persona that reflects values, voice, and growth rather than isolated facts
Remain lightweight enough to be sustained daily

Structure

Each entry contains a simple header followed by the journal entry.

1. Begin with a Simple Header

DATE:
PLACE:
CONTEXT:

Context

CONTEXT explains why the entry exists. It describes the mental mode or life domain active while writing. Only one context is needed per entry.

You define these yourself but should use them consistently. Common contexts include:

Daily
Travel
Work
Relationship
Health
Creative
Transition
Grief
Insight
Integration

2. Follow with Your Journal Entry

Write freely. Use paragraphs, lists, fragments, or stream-of-consciousness as needed. There is no required format. This section should feel indistinguishable from a normal handwritten journal entry.

Example - Daily Reflection

DATE: 2024-12-03
PLACE: Bisbee, AZ
CONTEXT: daily

I woke up more tired than I expected. The desert quiet helped, but I'm carrying a low-grade anxiety about timelines...

Optional Signal Blocks (Optional, Sparse, Intentional)

Signal blocks are used only when a thought feels durable - something you might want remembered, revisited, or understood later. They are not required and should be used sparingly.

Signal blocks are introduced inline with a simple label. It is important that you use this label format consistently.

-
Signal: Reflection
<content>
-

Guidance:

Signal: Reflection is the default
Most entries will use zero or one signal block
Multiple signal blocks are allowed but should be rare

There are six types:

Signal Type	Definition	Answers the Question…
Signal: Reflection	Meaning-making, insight, synthesis, perspective shifts	“What did I learn?”
Signal: Emotion	Felt experience, mood, affect, bodily-emotional awareness	“How did I feel?”
Signal: Identity	Statements about self-concept, values, roles, boundaries, or self-definition	“Who was I becoming?”
Signal: Decision	Choices made, commitments, resolutions	“What did I choose?”
Signal: Question	Open inquiries, uncertainties, things you’re sitting with	“What was unresolved?”
Signal: Memory	Recollections, flashbacks, past events with present relevance	“What should not be lost?”

Example (typical)

DATE: 2024-12-03
PLACE: Bisbee, AZ
CONTEXT: daily

I woke up more tired than I expected. The desert quiet helped, but I'm carrying a low-grade anxiety about timelines...

-
Signal: Reflection
I notice I am calmer when I stop trying to resolve things immediately and let them sit for a day.
-

The surrounding entry may remain purely daily in context. Signal blocks do not change the entry’s context; they highlight moments of crystallization within it.

Example (two signals, intentional)

DATE: 2024-12-03
PLACE: Bisbee, AZ
CONTEXT: daily
-
Signal: Emotion
I felt both proud and oddly sad after finishing the build.
-
Signal: Identity
I am someone who likes completion, but not closure.
-

What Stays Unstructured

After the header (and optional blocks), write freely. Narrative, emotion, messiness, and length are all preserved. The structure exists to support future retrieval, not constrain expression.

When to Break the Rules

If structure gets in the way, ignore it.
If you forget context, keep writing.
If a signal block feels forced, skip it.

The only failure mode is writing for the system instead of for yourself.

Why This Works

Modern language models infer themes, clusters, and semantic relationships better than humans can label them. What they cannot infer reliably is what mattered to you.

This approach allows future queries like:

What patterns emerged around health when fatigue was present?
How did thinking about relationships change over time?
What mattered most during an event or phase in your life?

Living Signal preserves that distinction. All answers are grounded in your own voice, written in real time. Living Signal is a journaling practice that protects human meaning while quietly enabling machine understanding.