Open notebook with handwritten market notes beside a pen

Why method before more charts

Adding another indicator rarely fixes a journal that only exists on winning days. Our method is deliberately short. It asks the same questions before entry and after exit so you can compare intent with outcome without rewriting the story.

The five questions

  1. Structure first
    Name the swing or level that matters in one line. If you cannot name it, you are not ready to size the trade.
  2. Trigger in plain words
    Write the candle or break that allows entry — no metaphors, no “momentum feels strong.”
  3. Invalidation
    State where the idea is wrong as a price or structure break, written before you click.
  4. Size and reason
    Note position size and why that size, even if the reason is simply “half my usual risk.”
  5. Close review
    After exit: Did I follow the plan? What did I invent after the fact? One improvement for the next similar setup.

How sessions use the method

In a Trade Journal Review we score your recent pages against these five questions. Gaps become the homework. In the Weekly Review Circle, members present one trade with the five answers visible. Mentoring blocks track whether the close-review question is filled for every trade across the fortnight.

What the method is not

It is not a signal service, a scoring app, or a substitute for risk capital you can afford to lose. It is a writing practice attached to the charts you already watch.

Take the next step

If your current notes skip invalidation or close reviews, start with a Trade Journal Review. If you want company while the habit forms, ask about the Weekly Review Circle.