The trading journal habit: what to record and why

Most journals fail because they record outcomes but not decisions.

Record the plan, not just the result

Before or immediately after entry, note:

Setup / strategy — which of your defined setups this was.
Entry, stop and target — so planned R:R can be compared with the outcome.
Risk % — to check sizing consistency.
Timeframe and session — context that often explains performance differences.

After the trade:

Mistakes — rule breaks, not losses. A loss that followed the plan is not a mistake.
Emotions — short tags such as hesitant, FOMO, confident, revenge. Patterns appear quickly.
A screenshot — the chart at entry is worth more than a paragraph.

A weekly review that asks the same questions each time is more useful than occasional deep dives:

The Journal and Analytics pages are structured around exactly these questions.

Twenty trades can't tell you much about a strategy. They can tell you a lot about your execution.

Educational content only — not financial advice. Trading involves risk of loss.

Most journals fail because they record outcomes but not decisions.

Before or immediately after entry, note:

Setup / strategy — which of your defined setups this was.
Entry, stop and target — so planned R:R can be compared with the outcome.
Risk % — to check sizing consistency.
Timeframe and session — context that often explains performance differences.

After the trade:

Mistakes — rule breaks, not losses. A loss that followed the plan is not a mistake.
Emotions — short tags such as hesitant, FOMO, confident, revenge. Patterns appear quickly.
A screenshot — the chart at entry is worth more than a paragraph.

A weekly review that asks the same questions each time is more useful than occasional deep dives:

The Journal and Analytics pages are structured around exactly these questions.

Twenty trades can't tell you much about a strategy. They can tell you a lot about your execution.