☰
The trading journal
Set up a journal with the 8 fields that matter.
Your memory of a trading week is not reliable. Losses feel bigger, wins feel more skillful and the details blur. A journal gives you the truth, and the truth is what makes you better.
The 8 fields that matter
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Date | The trading day |
| Setup | Which setup from your plan, for example opening range |
| Entry | Price and time you got in |
| Exit | Price and time you got out |
| Size | Number of contracts and which contract |
| Result | Profit or loss in dollars |
| Followed the plan | Yes or no |
| Note | 1 sentence on what you saw or felt |
That is it. A spreadsheet works perfectly. Many traders also save a screenshot of the chart for each trade, which makes the weekend review much faster.
Why "followed the plan" matters most
This 1 column separates 2 very different problems:
- You followed the plan and lost. That might be normal variance, or the setup may need work. Your replay numbers help you tell which.
- You broke the plan. That is a discipline problem, and no setup change will fix it.
Without this column, you might abandon a good setup because of losses that came from breaking its rules. With it, you know exactly what to work on.
Example: At the end of a week, you have 12 trades. The 8 where you followed the plan made $340. The 4 where you broke it lost $410. The setup is working. The fix is following it.
Write the note while it is fresh
Fill in each trade right after you close it. The note is where the lessons live: "Entered before the candle closed." "Hesitated, then chased." "Clean trade, exactly to plan." A week of notes shows patterns you would never spot in the moment.
The weekend review
Set aside 30 minutes every weekend. Go through the week with 4 questions:
- What percentage of my trades followed the plan?
- How did plan-following trades perform compared with the rest?
- Which mistake showed up most often?
- What is 1 thing I will do differently next week?
Pick 1 improvement only. Trying to fix 5 things at once usually fixes none.
Start today
Open a spreadsheet and create the 8 columns. Log every replay trade from lesson 16 and every live trade after that. The journal is the tool that turns experience into skill.
Key takeaways
- Log 8 fields for every trade: date, setup, entry, exit, size, result, followed the plan and 1 note.
- Review the journal every weekend.
- The "followed the plan" column matters most.
Top futures trading tips
Get the next lessons by email
Enroll free for the cheat sheet, a lesson path in your inbox and the flight check.
Flight School is educational content only and is not financial advice. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.