Trading Journal Template: Fields, Example and Review

Copy this trading journal template

A trading journal template can start with this ready-to-copy structure: Trade ID | Open date and time | Close date and time | Account | Market and symbol | Direction | Setup | Planned entry, stop and target | Position size | Actual entry and exit | Costs | Net Trading P&L | Rule followed? | Decision notes | Screenshot | Review tag. Keep a separate cash-movement record with Date | Account | Type | Amount | Note for deposits, withdrawals, payouts, resets and corrections.

One row should tell you what you planned, what you did and what happened. Use the same labels each time so trades remain comparable. A spreadsheet, notebook or journal app can all work. This template documents decisions after the fact. It cannot show which trade to take or predict future results, so treat patterns as questions to investigate.

Record the trade facts first

Give every trade an ID, then record its open and close times, account, market, symbol and direction. The ID lets you connect a journal row with an order confirmation, statement, chart or screenshot without relying on memory. Keep the original records available when possible so you can check a mistyped price or missing cost later.

Record planned entry, stop and target before the result can influence your recollection. Add actual entry and exit prices, position size, commissions and other costs included in your calculation. State whether P&L is gross or net. Net Trading P&L should use the same cost treatment across the periods you compare.

Capture the decision, not a story about the result

Name the setup or reason for entry in plain language. Then record the rule that applied to entry, size and exit. The rule-followed field can use a small set of values such as yes, no or adapted with a documented reason. This keeps a profitable rule break separate from a well-executed loss.

Decision notes should describe something observable: entered before confirmation, reduced size after the stop widened, or exited at the planned level. Add one review tag only when it helps group similar records, such as early exit or rule break. A screenshot can preserve the planned levels, but it should support the record rather than replace it. Avoid rewriting the plan with hindsight.

Keep cash movements separate from Trading P&L

Deposits, withdrawals, payouts, account resets and corrections change account equity, but they are not trade outcomes. Put them in a separate cash-movement record with a date, account, type, amount and note. Do not enter a payout as a losing trade or a deposit as a winning trade.

This separation makes equity easier to reconcile and keeps an execution review focused on trading activity. If you calculate returns, document how external cash flows and transaction costs are handled, then apply that method consistently. Different platforms may use different methods, so label yours.

Worked example: one completed row

The row below shows how the fields fit together. The figures are illustrative, not a suggested setup or expected outcome. The note records a process decision independently of the loss.

Use a short daily journal process

Complete the factual fields soon after the trade or import them from a reliable record. Then make one quick pass at the end of the session.

1. Reconcile the trade ID, times, size, prices and costs with the order record.
2. Confirm that net Trading P&L excludes deposits, withdrawals, payouts, resets and corrections.
3. Write the original setup, planned levels and size rule without changing them to fit the outcome.
4. Mark whether entry, size and exit rules were followed, adapted for a recorded reason or broken.
5. Add one concise decision note, one useful tag and a screenshot only when they clarify what changed.
6. Choose at most one item to revisit in the weekly review; leave predictions about the next trade out.

Run a weekly review from comparable trades

Set a fixed date range and account, then resolve missing trades and costs. Count closed trades and total net Trading P&L for that sample. Reconcile cash movements separately so a deposit or payout does not distort the trading result.

Group trades by one useful field, such as setup, session, direction or review tag. Put trade count beside any total or average, then inspect the rows behind it. Did one large result drive the change? Did size vary? Were all examples from one unusual day? A small or narrow sample deserves a tentative note, not a conclusion.

Compare decision quality with outcomes. Count how often entry, size and exit rules were followed. Review profitable rule breaks as carefully as losing ones because outcome alone does not describe the process. Check the evidence when a note and the original record disagree.

Finish with one specific question or process action for the next week. For example: record the reason whenever an exit differs from the plan. At the next review, check whether the action was completed. Do not treat a better or worse week as proof that the action caused the result.

Keep the template small enough to maintain

Begin with the core fields and add a field only when it supports a recurring review question. Remove unused columns and combine labels that mean the same thing. A smaller consistent record is easier to compare than a detailed template used only occasionally.

Review the template itself once a month. Check that labels are clear, calculations use the stated method and supporting records can still be found. The goal is a reliable decision log, not a model that claims to know future results.