Journaling
Psychology
What it means
Writing down every trade's setup, entry, exit, size, emotion, and the result, so you can review patterns and improve over time.
Example
After 100 journaled trades you notice 80% of your losses come from setups taken after 3 p.m. -- you are tired and undisciplined late in the day. You stop trading after 3 p.m. and profitability jumps.
Mistake beginners make
Beginners journal for a week, see no instant improvement, and quit. The value shows up after months of data, when patterns finally become visible -- not after five entries.
Related terms
- Trading Plan — A written set of rules covering what you trade, when you enter, when you exit, how much yo…
- Backtesting — Running a strategy over historical data to see how it would have performed, before risking…