Trading Journal Prompts: 20 Questions to Answer After Every Trade
Stuck on what to write after a trade? Use these 20 trading journal prompts to build a consistent review habit and learn from every trade.
Why prompt-based journaling works
Opening a journal after a trade can feel like staring at a blank page. A short list of prompts gives you a review structure, and that structure is what makes the habit stick. FX Replay notes that a handful of powerful prompts can help traders boost their performance through structured reflection (FX Replay). Likewise, Traders Log makes the case that keeping meticulous records is one of the best ways to speed up your learning curve (Traders Log).
The point is not to write an essay. It is to capture the details you will need later when you review patterns in your own trading. A useful entry records price levels plus the decision process, the state of mind, and the lesson you want to carry forward. Bookmap's guide to trade journaling recommends recording the reasoning behind each trade alongside the basic data (Bookmap). Tradecovex goes further and says a real journal answers questions about mental state, not just entries and exits (Tradecovex).
20 trading journal prompts to use after every trade
The following list is designed for a post-trade review you can finish in a few minutes. Answer each prompt with one line if possible. If a prompt does not apply, write NA and move on.
- What was my original plan? Write the setup, entry, stop, target, and position size you planned before the trade.
- Did I follow the plan? A simple yes or no. If no, describe the moment you deviated and what caused it.
- What was the market context? Note the trend, the key levels, or the news event that mattered most when you entered.
- How did I choose the entry? One sentence on which signal or confluence made you pull the trigger.
- What good setup did I pass on? Recording what you did not trade can reveal whether you are patient or impulsive.
- What emotions did I feel while entering? Pick one word: confident, greedy, anxious, bored, or overexcited.
- What emotions did I feel while the trade was open? Describe how you handled the drawdown or the floating profit.
- What emotions did I feel when I closed it? Compare the feeling to the result, not the other way around.
- Where did I get my information before this trade? A chart pattern, an economic calendar, a news feed, or a post on social media.
- Did I size the position correctly? Compare actual risk to the risk defined in your trading plan.
- Was the stop loss in the right place? Note whether it was based on market structure or just a round number.
- Was the profit target in the right place? Check whether it respected the next key level or matched a past winner.
- What did this trade teach me about my strategy? One sentence about the setup, not the outcome.
- What mistakes did I make, if any? List them without judgment, then choose one to fix next time.
- What did I do well? Record your good process, not only your mistakes.
- Would I take this trade again under the same rules? This separates bad execution from normal variance.
- What would make me skip this setup next time? Name the disqualifier that would keep you out of a similar trade.
- What is the one thing I want to repeat? A repeatable strength, like waiting for confirmation or cutting risk early.
- What is the one thing I want to change? A specific, small adjustment you can test in the next trade.
- What is my focus for tomorrow? One concrete goal for the next session, derived from the answers above.
How to turn your answers into action
A prompt list only helps if you review the answers. Set aside five minutes after each trade to fill in the list, then do a weekly scan for repeats. When the same word shows up under your emotions for multiple losses, that is a pattern worth acting on. K.M.F. Journal describes this kind of post-trade questioning as a review habit that transforms trading (K.M.F.).
If you want to keep prompts and trade data in one place, consider Astro Trading Journal, a journal for forex, stock, crypto, and futures traders on the web and iOS. You can log trades manually, tag each one to a playbook, and compare setups side by side later (Astro features). Astro offers manual entry, playbooks, and analytics on the free plan; broker sync and unlimited AI reviews are part of Premium (pricing). For a current list of supported brokers and exchanges, see the brokers page (supported brokers).
Frequently asked questions
How many of these trading journal prompts should I answer per trade?
Start by answering all 20 once, then pick the 5 that give you the most useful answers. Consistency matters more than completeness. The habit is the point.
Should I journal winning trades and losing trades the same way?
Yes. Use the same prompt list for both so you can compare process across outcomes. If you only journal losses, you miss the repeatable habits that produce your wins.
What should I do if I do not have time to answer 20 questions?
Keep a short version with four fields: plan, execution, emotion, and lesson. Even one line per field is enough to review later. You can expand the list once the habit is established.
Can a trading journal app help me with prompts?
A dedicated tool can make the routine faster because it stores trade data alongside your notes. Astro supports manual entry, lets you tag trades to playbooks, and keeps the same journal on web and iPhone, so answers you write on your desk can be reviewed later wherever you are (Astro features).