Trade review works best when it separates a bad outcome from a bad decision. A valid setup can lose; a rule break can win. Review both.
A 15-minute sequence
First, mark every trade as planned, unplanned, or rule-broken. Next, compare actual size and stop placement with what your plan allowed. Then write one line: what would I repeat, stop, or test?
Look for groups, not drama
Sort trades by setup, time of day, and whether they followed your rules. A single loss may be noise. Five rushed entries after a loss is a pattern. That distinction is central to recovering from a trading slump.
Keep screenshots and notes together so your future self can see the trade as it looked then, not as it feels now. A structured journal makes the review less emotional and more useful.
