Minute 0–2: establish the facts
Record the net result after commissions, the account, market, symbol, direction, session and size. Keep cash movements such as deposits or payouts separate from Trading P&L.
Do not interpret the day yet. The first pass is a reliable record, not a story.
Minute 2–5: score the execution
Ask whether the setup matched your plan, the size respected your rule and the exit followed the decision you intended to make. A green trade can be poorly executed; a red trade can be disciplined.
Tag the emotional state that materially changed the decision. Use a small vocabulary so the data remains comparable over time.
Minute 5–8: compare, do not guess
Compare the session with a relevant sample: the same market, direction, time of day or emotional tag. Avoid declaring a pattern from one memorable trade.
Look for the trades contributing to a metric. Averages without their sample can hide outliers, changing size or a small number of extreme days.
Minute 8–10: choose one next action
Write one response that can be observed next session. Examples: pause for five minutes after a full-size loss, require a screenshot before adding size, or avoid a setup until the sample reaches ten trades.
One action is enough. A journal becomes useful when review changes behavior, not when it produces the longest note.