Performance and discipline
Forex Trading Journal: What to Record and Review
Turn trades into data that reveals setup quality, execution, timing and recurring mistakes.
Answer first
What you should remember
- Record thesis, invalidation, size and result in risk units.
- A pre-trade image prevents rewriting the story after the outcome.
- Review samples of trades rather than one result.
Pre-trade data
Record pair, timeframe, session, setup, bias, level, stop, target, risk and nearby news. Documenting before execution reveals whether the trade qualified or was justified afterwards.
Post-trade data
Add fill, slippage, pip and R result, adherence score and after-chart. Cash profit alone cannot compare trades with different size and stop distance.
Classifying mistakes
Separate a valid system loss from execution errors such as early entry, oversize, ignored news, moved stop or off-hours trading. The aim is fewer repeated mistakes, not zero losses.
Weekly review
Group results by setup, pair, session and day and review average R, adherence and losing sequences. Do not rewrite rules from three trades; look for adequate sample size and a clear pattern.
Direct answers
Frequently asked questions
What is an R-multiple?
It expresses outcome relative to initial risk; gaining twice the risk equals +2R.
Should I journal only losing trades?
No. Winners can hide rule-breaking and losers can be excellent execution.