A journal is not about writing a novel after every trade. It is a compact way to track what you planned, what actually happened and how you behaved – so you can improve your decisions over time.
Education only · Not trading adviceApplies to Forex / Crypto / Binary
Process, not perfectionUse a simple structure that you can actually keep up with.
Approx. reading time: 7–10 minutes.
Why a journal matters more than another indicator
Indicators and tools show you the market. A journal shows you your own behaviour. Without it, it is hard to tell whether a result came from skill, luck or simply taking too much risk.
It records what you planned versus what you actually did.
It highlights repeated patterns in wins and losses.
It gives you something concrete to review weekly or monthly.
The goal is a lean, repeatable habit – not a second full-time job writing reports.
A simple journal entry structure
You do not need dozens of columns. Many traders find that a compact set of fields is enough to see patterns over time.
Before the trade
Date and session (London, New York, etc.).
Instrument and direction (for example, EUR/USD long).
Planned setup and reason for entry.
Planned risk amount and stop location.
After the trade
Result in risk units (for example, +0.8R, -1R).
Whether you followed your own rules.
One sentence on what you would repeat or avoid.
Optional screenshot of the chart.
Keeping entries short and useful
A good entry is one you can review quickly later. Long paragraphs make it hard to spot patterns. Short, focused lines are easier to scan.
Examples of useful notes
"Entered late, chased candle, size was too large."
"Followed plan, exit slightly early due to news."
"Skipped setup – conditions did not match rules."
Less useful notes
"Market was crazy today" without details.
Very emotional language with no clear observation.
No link to your written rules or plan.
The objective is to create a record that your future self can understand in a few seconds.
Building a daily journaling rhythm
Journaling works best when it becomes part of your normal trading rhythm, not something you only do on good days.
Before the session
Note key levels, news and planned risk for the session.
Write down what you will avoid (for example, revenge trades).
Set a simple intention for the day: "Follow rules over P&L".
After the session
Summarise the day in 3–4 bullet points.
Highlight one thing you did well and one to improve.
Check if you respected your daily loss limits.
How your daily notes feed weekly and monthly reviews
A daily journal is raw material. Once you have several days or weeks of entries, you can step back and look for patterns that are hard to see in a single session.
Group trades by setup, market, or time of day.
Look at how results relate to rule-following or breaking.
Note which conditions tend to lead to your best and worst behaviour.
Update your written plan based on consistent findings.
The Weekly Review Playbook page expands on how to run these reviews in a structured way.
