For most traders, what is difficult in their desire for trading success is the consistency and accountability in applying it. Most traders, of course, will only journal if they have taken a trade, thereby depriving themselves of learning about the market that day.
One of the powerful tools that can help the trader transcend this challenge is Notion. It is under this versatile platform that a comprehensive, systematic journal is put in place, ensuring thoughts and strategy are tracked daily.
In this article, we will learn how to journal every day for trading using Notion. I recommend we go step by step—from creating a trading journal template and the process of keeping it every day to the most effective review and analysis of our journal entries.
Why You Absolutely Must Journal Every Day for Trading
I find it essential to journal every day, whether I have taken a trade, for the following reasons:
- Improves Accountability: Writing in a daily journal makes you responsible for the decisions you would have made.
- Enhances Learning: By reviewing journal entries, you can learn from both success and mistakes.
- Refining Strategies: Through this consistency in journaling, one would be more knowledgeable in refining their trade strategies with actual data and observations.
- Tracks Progress: A personal journal provides a clear record of daily developments and indicates possible corrections of actions.
How to Set Up Your Notion-Based Trading Journal
Here’s how to get started to journal every day for your trading in Notion:
Make a new page in Notion
- Open Notion and open a new blank page.
- Name the page “Trades Market Review”.
Step 2: Include a TableView
- Add a table view using a slash mark (“/”) command.
- Create and name your new database as a “Journal.”
- Make the date a property of the class.
- Add a date property that reports the date of each journal entry.
- Change the view of the table to the calendar view.
Step 4: Journal Entry Template Design
- Click the “New Template” button, then add text for the template name: “Entry”
- Don’t forget to leave the date and tags blank for now; you’ll use these fields in the process of making an individual entry.
- Add a callout—for important notes—and duplicate that so you have two sections.
Step 5: Add Predictions and Actuals
- Two-column layout with predictions and actual outcome.
- Add four columns for the following increments: Daily, Hourly, 15-Minute, and 5-Min.
Step 6: Copy the Template for Additional Assets
- Now copy the template and adjust it to whatever assets you are trading (for example ES and NQ).
- Place entries in linked toggles to help clean up the journal.
How to Use the Journal Template
Now that you’ve set your template, this is how you use your template:
Daily Journaling
Start with News and Notes:
- Bring the day’s news from sources such as ForexFactory.com and paste into the call-out box.
- Add any other notes for the day.
Record Predictions and Actual Results:
- Enter your predictions for the day in the correct columns.
- After each trading day, be sure to fill in the actual results here in order to allow for comparison with your predictions.
Mark Up Charts:
- Get your charts analyzed by TradingView.
- Upload the daily, hourly, 15-minute, and the 5-minute charts into your diary.
Weekly Review
Create a Weekly Review Template:
- Just like the daily template, make a weekly review template similarly.
- Add in sections for your week-by-week predictions vs your actual results.
Analyze Weekly Performance:
- Review the entries in your journal at the end of the week for tendencies or opportunities to do it better.
- Oh, the weekly profile pre-market charts that accommodate the daily, 4-hour, and the hourly charts.
Daily Journal Entry Sample
A sample entry for a daily journal would look something like this:
March 14, 2023
News: Copy and paste news from ForexFactory.
Predictions:
- RA: Being likely to have it bullish.
- NQ: Expecting the bearish trend to continue.
Real-World Results:
- IT: Up move as forecasted.
- NQ: continuation of bearish trend, as forecast.
Chart Analysis:
- Daily Chart: Set up the daily chart for ES and NQ.
- Hourly Chart: Mark key price moves and SMT (Smart Money Technique) entries.
- 15-Minute Chart: Describing Order Blocks and Fair Value Gaps.
- 5-Minute Chart: Elaborate a little on important levels and.
Tips on Keeping a Great Journal
- Be Consistent: Journal every day, even when you are not trading.
- Be Detailed: Include a lot of detail on predictions, outcomes, and chart analysis.
- Review: Regularly review your journal entries to identify patterns and enhance strategies.
- Make Use of Visuals: Utilize charts and visuals to make the journal entries have more depth.
Conclusion
The most important practice that an evidently committed trader can use is journaling every day. With a journal notebook creation in this Notion App, you increase your efficiency, learning refinement, and strategy advancement with uncluttered journaling.
In this article below, follow the steps for setting up the trading journal and start reaping the benefits of consistent journaling. Remember that the key in trading is not just the trade that you put on but how well you come to understand and learn from the market each and every day.