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# How to Keep a Trading Journal (What to Track and Review)
- URL: https://www.flltlt.com/blog/trading-journal/
- Published: 2026-10-27T15:31:09.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-27T17:39:28.000Z
- Description: What to record on every trade, a simple journal template, how to review it weekly and the mistakes that make journals useless.
- Author: Fulltilt
- Tags: Trading Psychology, Platforms & Tools

**The short answer:** A trading journal is a record of every trade: the setup, entry, stop, target, size, result and whether you followed your rules, plus a note on how you felt. Reviewed weekly, it shows which setups actually make money, when you trade worst and which mistakes repeat. A spreadsheet is enough. What matters is logging every trade, especially the bad ones.

## Key takeaways

- Log every trade, not just the interesting ones.
- Record the plan, the result, rule-following and your state.
- Results in points make different sizes comparable.
- Review weekly and pick one thing to change.
- A simple spreadsheet works fine.

## What should you record?

![What to log on every trade: the plan, the result, whether you followed the rules, and your emotional state.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a0/84/a0847890-aa24-4d5e-b6dd-8a7b42022bb3/content/images/2026/10/journal-fields.png)

| Column                | Example                  |
| --------------------- | ------------------------ |
| Date / time           | Nov 23, 9:42 ET          |
| Contract              | MNQ                      |
| Setup                 | VWAP pullback            |
| Entry / stop / target | 20,010 / 19,995 / 20,040 |
| Contracts             | 3                        |
| Result (points)       | +30                      |
| Result ($)            | +$180                    |
| Followed plan?        | Yes                      |
| State                 | Calm                     |

Check: 30 points × $2 × 3 contracts = $180\. Recording points and dollars separately makes it easy to compare days with different sizes.

## How do you review a trading journal?

**Once a week, look for patterns, not stories.**

1. **Results by setup.** Which setups have positive [expectancy](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/trading-expectancy/)? Drop the ones that don't.
2. **Results by time of day.** Many traders find their best trades cluster early and their worst midday.
3. **Rule breaks.** Count them. Then look at what happened right before each one.
4. **State vs result.** Compare "calm" trades with "rushed" or "angry" ones.
5. **One change.** Pick a single adjustment for next week and write it into your [trading plan](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/how-to-build-a-trading-plan/).

## What are common journaling mistakes?

- **Skipping losing days.** Those are the most useful entries.
- **Writing essays.** Short, consistent fields beat long paragraphs you won't reread.
- **Only tracking P&L.** A winning trade that broke your rules is still a problem.
- **Never reviewing.** A journal you don't read is just a diary.

> **From the desk** Indy trades MNQ and publishes his record in points on [Day Trader Income](https://www.daytraderincome.com/). A public record is the strictest journal there is: no skipped days, no edited trades.

## The bottom line

Log every trade with the plan, result, rule check and your state. Review weekly, look for patterns and change one thing at a time. Most traders who improve can point to the week their journal showed them something they didn't want to see.

## FAQ

### What should I put in a trading journal?

Record the setup, entry, stop, target, size, result in points and dollars, whether you followed your plan and a one-word note on your emotional state.

### How often should I review my trading journal?

Weekly is a good rhythm. Look for patterns by setup, time of day, rule breaks and emotional state.

### Do I need special software for a trading journal?

No. A simple spreadsheet works. Consistency matters more than the tool.

### Why record results in points?

Points make trades with different position sizes comparable, so you can judge the setup separately from the size.