What Should You Record in a Trading Journal?

You close a trade and think, “I made $18, but did I follow my breakout plan?” Your journal shows the dollars. It does not show the decision you made before the trade. That missing line matters more to your next review than adding ten new boxes.

This is a fictional XAUUSD trade in the London session. XAUUSD means gold priced in US dollars. A breakout means price moving beyond a level you marked. It can continue or turn back; this example is about recording a decision, not choosing a trade.

Quick answer: start with trading journal fields that show what you planned, what you did, what happened, and what you want to check next. You can add detail when a real review question needs it.

Start with the question your result cannot answer

Suppose the only line in your journal is “XAUUSD, +$18.” That is net profit and loss (P&L): the result after costs you counted. It tells you how this example trade ended. It does not tell you whether you waited for your planned check.

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A trading journal is a record you can return to after a trade. You do not need a perfect form to start. You need enough information to answer the question you keep asking.

Which trading journal fields should you start with?

Think of one record in the order you actually make it: before, during, and after the trade. These six small groups are a starting point, not a rule that every trader or firm requires.

Before: write the date, symbol and session so you can find the trade later. In this example, that is 14 October 2026, XAUUSD, London. Then name your setup and written check. A setup is the situation you planned to trade. This trader’s own breakout check was: wait for the breakout candle to close beyond the marked level. A candle is one price bar for the time period the trader chose.

Also record your planned stop and size method before you know the result. A stop is the level your plan uses to limit a losing trade or say the idea no longer applies; position size is how much you chose to trade. In this fictional record, the trader had written both using their own method. There is no entry price, stop distance, size or risk amount here to copy. If you want to review whether the plan was followed, the actual numbers belong in your private record.

During: write what you actually did and whether your required check happened. Here, the trader entered while the breakout candle was still open. The planned close had not happened. That makes the answer to “Plan followed?” a clear No, even though the trade later made money. This is the practical meaning of setup compliance: did your decision meet the conditions you had written for that setup? It does not predict whether a trade will win.

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After: add the net P&L in dollars and one short review note. This trade ended +$18 net. The note says: “Why did I enter before the candle closed?” That gives your next review a question you can use. A profit does not turn the early entry into a planned one. Equally, a loss on another trade would not, by itself, prove the plan was broken.

What does one filled record look like?

Here is the whole fictional entry in one place. It is an example of what to remember, not a trade idea or a blank template:

When and what: 14 October 2026 · XAUUSD · London session
Setup and check: Breakout · wait for the candle to close beyond my marked level
Plan: My stop location and size method were written before entry
Action: I entered while that candle was still open · plan followed: No
Result: +$18 net after counted costs
Review: Why did I enter before the candle closed?

The result and the plan answer sit on different lines. If the plan answer were missing, you could easily remember the win and forget the early entry. The record lets you notice the difference without calling one profitable trade proof of anything.

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Add another field only when it helps your review

If you keep entering early, a short emotion tag such as “rushed” might help you remember how the decision felt. Emotion tracking means noting that feeling beside the decision, not trying to diagnose yourself. If you cannot remember what the chart looked like, add an annotated screenshot. If you changed a stop or exit, write what changed and why. You can also note which current official rule or account condition you checked for a prop-firm account, including its source and date.

Those are optional fields with a purpose. A note saying “I think I followed the firm rule” is your own record, not the firm’s official account status. Check the current terms and dashboard for your exact firm, program and stage; the prop-firm rules guide explains how to read those terms. For extra account-specific journal fields, read the funded-account forex journal guide.

PropLogAI lets you manually log trade details, notes, emotions, rule adherence and screenshots, then review what you recorded. The useful part is still your honest entry. If you want to look more closely at feelings around a trade, use the separate guide to tracking trading emotions.

At your next review, try asking: “Did I enter before my planned check more than once?” One record can show a question worth investigating. It cannot prove a pattern by itself. The broader prop-firm trading journal guide covers how to review your records over time.

If a field never helps you answer a review question, remove it. If you keep being unable to explain a decision, add the missing field. When you are ready to put the same questions into a reusable form, use the trading journal template.