Memory is a liar with an agenda — it remembers the lucky win warmly and buries the broken rule that caused the big loss. A journal is how traders replace memory with data. Not a diary: a structured log lean enough that you'll actually keep it.
The five fields (per position)
- SETUP — which named setup was this? ('Felt right' is a confession, not a setup.)
- R RISKED — size as a % / R, decided before entry.
- PLAN FOLLOWED — yes/no. The single most predictive column in the whole log.
- RESULT IN R — not dollars. R makes weeks comparable.
- ONE LINE — what you'd tell yourself before repeating this exact trade.
The weekly ritual (15 minutes)
- Group by setup: which NAMED setups actually made the R? Kill or bench the ones that don't after 20+ samples.
- Count rule-breaks and their total R cost. That number is usually the whole difference between the month being green or red.
- Pick ONE fix for next week. Not five. One.
A month of honest journaling teaches more than a year of screen time — because screen time repeats habits, and the journal exposes them.