Journaling and Key Metrics

Your journal turns trades into data. Here is what to record for each trade and the handful of metrics that show whether your plan, and your discipline, are working.

What to record

• Date, symbol, setup name and market condition.
• Planned entry, stop and target, and the actual fills.
• Position size and risk in dollars (your 1R).
• Result in dollars and in R.
• Did you follow the plan? Yes or no, and what you did differently.
• Chart screenshots at entry and exit, plus a line on how you felt.

Unlock all of Investing School

The rest of this lesson, its chart examples and quiz are part of Investing School. Start free with Stock Market Fundamentals and the first lesson in every category.