The Trading Journal That Actually Changes Your Behaviour
Why most journals fail
They record what happened to the price, not what happened to the trader. The useful data is your state, your plan, and the gap between plan and action.
Fields to log every trade
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Setup name | RSI-2 pullback |
| Planned entry / stop / target | 50.00 / 48.00 / 54.00 |
| Actual entry / exit | 50.30 / 49.10 |
| Followed the plan? | No — moved stop |
| Emotional state (1–5) | 2 — rushed, revenge trade |
| One-line lesson | No trades in the first 5 min |
Weekly review
Once a week, sort by “Followed the plan?” Compare the expectancy of rule-following trades vs. rule-breaking trades. The number is usually brutal and motivating.
Turn lessons into rules
Any lesson that shows up three times becomes a hard rule with a mechanical check. “Be more patient” is not a rule. “No entries within 5 minutes of the open” is.