A pre-trade journal entry checklist
If you fill in your journal after the trade closes, you are writing fiction. These seven fields exist to slow you down before you click — each one maps to a chart question traders skip when they are in a hurry.
1. Instrument and session context
Not just "EUR/USD" but which session you are trading and why you are watching this pair now. Example: "EUR/USD, London open, watching because overnight range was compressed below yesterday's high."
2. Annotated screenshot attached
If there is no image, the entry is incomplete. The screenshot must show levels you marked before entry. File naming convention we teach: YYYY-MM-DD_INSTRUMENT_direction_pre.png.
3. Setup description in plain language
Two or three sentences describing structure — "price retested prior day low, held, formed higher low on 15-minute" — not indicator readings.
4. Invalidation price
A single price level. If you list two stops, you have not decided. Write what happens to your thesis if that price prints.
5. Target reasoning
Where might price reach and why — prior swing high, session range extension, measured move from consolidation. Partial exit points noted if applicable.
6. Position size and risk
Lots or shares, stop distance in pips or points, pound risk as a number. This field catches oversizing when emotions run high.
7. Emotional state score
Rate 1–5 and add one word: "calm," "recovering from earlier loss," "FOMO on missed move." Patterns emerge over weeks that P&L alone hides.
When to skip a trade instead
If you cannot complete all seven fields honestly in under four minutes, you likely do not have a clear setup. Missing fields is a valid reason to stay flat — log that decision too.