Trading Journal Pages

A trading journal is a written record of every trade you take — what you did, what happened, and whether you followed your plan. Professionals keep one because memory lies: after a win you remember being smart, after a loss you remember being unlucky. The journal remembers what actually happened.

Print a stack of these pages and keep them next to your screen. Fill in one row for every trade, right after you exit — not at the end of the day, not tomorrow. Five minutes after the trade, you still remember the truth.

How to Fill In Each Column

• Date — the day you took the trade.
• Ticker — the symbol you traded (for example: SPY, QQQ, MES).
• Setup — the setup from your written trading plan that this trade was based on. If it was not a setup from your plan, write "NOT IN PLAN" — honestly. Those rows are the most valuable ones you own.
• Entry — the price where you got in.
• Exit — the price where you got out.
• Size — how much you traded (for example: 50 sh for 50 shares, or 2 contracts).
• Result $ — what you made or lost in dollars, after the trade closed.
• Result R — your result measured in R, which means your planned risk on that trade. If you planned to risk $50 (that $50 is "1R") and you made $100, your result is +2R. If you lost the full $50, your result is -1R. R lets you compare trades of different sizes fairly.
• Followed plan? (Y/N) — did you follow your written plan on this trade, yes or no? Be honest. A winning trade that broke your plan is still a bad trade.
• One lesson — one short line. Even "Followed everything. Good trade." counts.

Example — One Filled-In Row

Check the example math: (52.00 − 50.00) × 50 shares = +$100. The stop was at 49.00, so the planned risk was $1.00 per share × 50 shares = $50 = 1R. A $100 gain is +2R.

Trade Log — Block 1 (Trades 1–10)

Followe Result Result d plan? One Date Ticker Setup Entry Exit Size $ R (Y/N) lesson ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____

Trade Log — Block 2 (Trades 11–20)

Followe Result Result d plan? One Date Ticker Setup Entry Exit Size $ R (Y/N) lesson ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____

Trade Log — Block 3 (Trades 21–30)

Followe Result Result d plan? One Date Ticker Setup Entry Exit Size $ R (Y/N) lesson ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____

Trade Log — Block 4 (Trades 31–40)

Followe Result Result d plan? One Date Ticker Setup Entry Exit Size $ R (Y/N) lesson ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____ ________ ________ ________ ______ ______ ____ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ____

Emotions Check

Feelings are data too. For a few trades each week, rate how you felt before, during, and after the trade on a scale of 1 to 10 — where 1 = calm and clear-headed and 10 = heart pounding, desperate, or furious. It takes ten seconds per trade.

Then look for patterns at your weekly review. Many students discover something like: "Every trade I entered at a 7 or higher lost money." That discovery is worth more than most indicators.

Example row: trade 1 on 03/04 — calm before (4), shaky during (7), settled after (3).