S3 E9 : TRADING JOURNALS : HOW TO TRACK AND LEARN
🪞 Imagine This:
You're going to the gym regularly.
You lift weights. Run. Eat right.
But you don’t track anything.
You don’t write what you ate.
You don’t note what exercises you did.
You don’t measure how much weight you lifted.
After a month, you ask yourself:
“Am I improving?”
You have no idea.
✅ That’s why fitness people keep a logbook.
It helps them track progress and learn what works.
Trading is no different.
Without a journal, you're trading in the dark.
🧠 What Is a Trading Journal?
A trading journal is a notebook or digital file where you write down every trade you make — like your personal diary for trading.
It includes things like:
- What stock you traded
- Why you bought or sold it
- What happened after
- What you were feeling
- What you learned
It’s a mirror. It shows your patterns, your strengths, your mistakes.
✍️ What Should You Write in a Trading Journal?
Here’s a beginner-friendly format you can use:
1. Date of Trade
When did you take this trade?
2. Stock Name
Which company or symbol did you trade? (e.g., Tata Motors, Infosys)
3. Buy or Sell
Did you buy the stock or sell it?
4. Entry Price
At what price did you enter the trade?
5. Target Price
What price were you hoping it would reach?
6. Stop Loss
At what price would you exit to avoid bigger loss?
7. Why Did You Take This Trade?
Explain in simple terms.
For example:
- “The stock was at support level.”
- “Volume increased suddenly.”
- “Breakout above previous day’s high.”
8. What Happened After?
Did it go in your favor or against you?
Did you book profit or loss?
9. Emotions Felt During the Trade
Were you nervous, greedy, scared, confident?
10. Lesson Learned
What would you do differently next time?
🧭 Why Is This So Important?
Because memory is weak. Emotions lie.
You may feel like you’re improving… but the journal gives proof.
It shows:
- Why you’re winning
- Why you’re losing
- Which strategy works for you
- What mistakes you repeat
- How emotions are affecting decisions
It turns random trading into purposeful growth.
🛠️ How to Maintain a Trading Journal?
You can use any of these:
-
A regular notebook 📒
-
Google Sheets or Excel 📊
-
Free journaling tools (for beginners)
-
Advanced apps like TraderSync, Edgewonk, or TradingDiary Pro
But honestly? Even a notebook is enough — if you stay consistent.
💡 Extra Tips for Journaling:
- Write in your own words. No fancy language.
- Review your journal once a week.
- Highlight both your best trades and your worst ones.
- Be honest about your emotions.
Keep improving your format over time.
🎯 Quick Recap:
✅ A trading journal is like your gym log — it tracks your trades
✅ You write what, why, how, and how you felt
✅ It helps you learn faster, avoid repeat mistakes, and build discipline
✅ No need for fancy tools — just consistency and honesty
✅ The more honest your journal, the faster you grow