A trading journal turns experience into improvement. Without one, you repeat the same mistakes; with one, every trade — win or lose — becomes data you can learn from.
What to record
For each trade log: the setup and why you took it, entry, stop and target, position size, the result in R, and — most importantly — whether you followed your plan. The emotional state and any rule you broke matter as much as the numbers.
Process over outcome
Grade yourself on execution, not just profit. A losing trade taken correctly is a good trade; a winning trade taken by breaking your rules is a bad trade that will cost you later. Rewarding good process is how you build a durable edge.
The review loop
mingguan, review your journal for patterns: which setups work, which time of day hurts you, which rule you keep breaking. Change rules deliberately based on this evidence. This loop — trade, record, review, adjust — is how amateurs become professionals.
Key takeaways
- Log setup, levels, size, result in R, and whether you followed the plan.
- Grade execution, not outcome — a disciplined loss beats a reckless win.
- Tinjau mingguan for patterns and adjust rules by evidence, not impulse.