A trading journal template should make it easier to review decisions, not create a second full-time job. The most useful journal records what you planned, what you did, and what changed in between.
Core fields to track
- Market, date, setup, and time frame
- Entry, stop, target, position size, and planned risk
- Exit and realized result
- A screenshot before and after the trade
- Rule followed or broken, plus one sentence on why
Add context that numbers miss
Record your confidence, focus, and whether you were responding to a prior win or loss. This is how a journal reveals trading tilt and recurring rule breaks that a PnL number alone cannot explain.
Start simple for two weeks, then add fields only if they change a decision. PnL App is built for that kind of review: capture the why, then compare it against the outcome. Read our guide to trading discipline for what to do with the patterns you find.
