Trading Journal Template: A Simple Layout You Will Keep Using

A template removes the hardest part of journaling: deciding what to write. Below is a layout in three parts that works for day traders and swing traders. Copy it, trim what you do not need, and use the same structure every day so your entries can be compared.

Part 1: Before the session

Fill this in before the market opens. It takes five minutes.

• Market context: What happened overnight? Any news, earnings or economic data today?
• Watchlist: Three to five symbols, each with a reason.
• Plan: Which setups am I looking for? Where would I enter, and where is my stop?
• Risk for the day: Maximum loss for the day, and maximum risk per trade. See the daily loss limit.
• Checklist: Sleep, focus, no distractions, rules reviewed. A full version is in the pre-market routine.
• Mood: One or two words.

Part 2: For each trade

Keep this short. Most of it can be imported.

Symbol / side / size: Setup: Entry / stop / target: Reason (one sentence): Exit and why: Result in $ and R: Mistakes: Rating (1-5, for execution):

Part 3: After the session

• Did I follow my plan? Yes, partly or no.
• Best trade and why.
• Worst trade and why.
• Lesson of the day: One sentence.
• Mood after trading.
• Tags for the day, such as "trend day", "news", "tired".

Part 4: Weekly review

Once a week, answer the same five questions:

1. What was my P&L, win rate and expectancy this week?
2. Which setup worked best, and which worst?
3. Which mistake cost the most?
4. On how many days did I follow my plan, and how did those days compare with the others?
5. What is the one thing I will change next week?

The weekly trading review article explains each question in detail.

Adapting the template

• Options traders should add the strategy (for example, iron condor or covered call), the days to expiration and implied volatility at entry.
• Futures traders should record the contract month and ticks rather than price.
• Swing traders can skip the per-session plan and write a short weekly plan instead.

Spreadsheet or journal app?

A spreadsheet works at first, but it gets painful once you want results by setup, hour or mood. The trade-offs are covered in trading journal vs spreadsheet. In TradeThink, the journal page already has this layout built in: a plan with a ready-made template, an editable pre-market checklist, mood before and after, whether you followed the plan, a lesson of the day, tags and a rating. The day's trades and P&L appear next to your notes.