Trading Journal Template: What to Record After Every Trade
A high-signal trading journal template for tracking setup, context, risk, execution, emotion, and lessons.
· 5 min read · journal, discipline, psychology, checklist
A trading journal is not a diary of feelings or a scoreboard of wins. It is a feedback system. The journal should make it obvious which setups you trade well, which mistakes repeat, and whether your process is improving.
The minimum useful fields
Record the same fields every time so you can compare trades later. Do not write essays during execution; write a compact record that is easy to review.
- Market and timeframe.
- Setup name and screenshot note.
- Entry, stop, target, risk-reward, and position size.
- Reason before reveal or entry.
- Execution grade: A, B, C, or rule break.
- One lesson after outcome.
Grade process before outcome
Three-node practice loop: predict the next candle, reveal the outcome, journal the lesson — then repeat.
A profitable rule break is still a bad trade. A losing trade that followed the plan can be a good trade. If the journal rewards only P&L, it trains you to chase luck instead of repeatable behavior.
Review in batches
One trade is noisy. Twenty trades show tendencies. At the end of each batch, ask: which setup performed best, which mistake repeated, which market condition hurt performance, and what one rule should change?