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40 journaling prompts for traders, sorted by when to ask them

A blank journal page is hard to start. A good question makes it easy. Here are 40 prompts, grouped by the moment you'd ask them, so you always know what to write.

Beginner guide · 7-minute read · Updated 2026-10-21

Why prompts work better than a blank page

Most trading journals start strong and fade after a week. The reason is simple: "write about your day" is too open.

A prompt gives you one small thing to answer. Small things get done.

Over time, the answers turn into patterns. Those patterns are where the real learning is. You'll see which feelings come before your best trades, and which come before the ones you'd rather not repeat.

How to use this list

• Don't answer all 40. Pick 2 or 3 per moment. Rotate them weekly.
• Keep answers short. One line is fine. One word is fine for feelings.
• Write at the moment. Before-trade prompts are answered before the trade, not after.
• Be honest, not harsh. The journal is for learning. Nobody grades it.

Our guide on how to keep a trading journal covers the numbers to log (entry, stop, target, result). These prompts are the words that go next to them. You can also start from our free journal template.

Before the session (8 prompts)

1. How did I sleep, from 1 to 5?
2. What's my mood in one word?
3. Is anything outside trading on my mind today?
4. What big reports are due today, and when?
5. Which 1 or 2 markets am I watching, and why those?
6. What's the one setup I'm looking for today?
7. What's my stop for the day: how many losses, or what time?
8. If today goes badly, what's my plan?

Before each trade (7 prompts)

Answer these before you click. If you can't answer one, that's a useful sign.

1. In one sentence, why am I taking this trade?
2. What does the bigger chart say?
3. Where is my exit if I'm wrong, and why there?
4. How many units of risk is this, and did the calculator set the size?
5. What would make me skip this trade?
6. How do I feel right now: calm, rushed, bored, eager, frustrated?
7. Would I take this exact trade if my last trade had been a win?

Prompt 15 is a quiet favourite. It catches trades that are really about the last trade.

After each trade (7 prompts)

1. Did I follow every rule? Which ones, if not?
2. What was the result in units of risk?
3. Did the trade play out the way I expected, or differently?
4. Did I move my stop or target? Why?
5. What did I feel during the trade?
6. What did I do well, even if it lost?
7. If I could replay this exact trade, what would I keep the same?

End of the day (7 prompts)

1. How many trades, and how many followed every rule?
2. Total for the day in units of risk?
3. Did I stop when my plan said to?
4. Which trade am I proudest of, and why?
5. Was there a moment I nearly broke a rule? What helped me not?
6. What's one thing I learned about this market today?
7. What's one thing I'll do the same tomorrow?

Weekly review (6 prompts)

1. What was my average rule score this week?
2. Which setup showed up most? Which worked best by units?
3. Is there a pattern in my feelings before losing trades?
4. Did my best trades happen at a certain time of day?
5. Which rule was hardest to follow? Should it be clearer?
6. What's the one change I'll test next week?

Only change one thing a week, so you can tell what helped. Our trading routine guide shows where the weekly review fits.

After a streak (5 prompts)

Streaks of wins or losses are when habits change most. These prompts check that your plan stayed the same.

1. Has my size changed, in percent of the account?
2. Am I taking more or fewer trades than usual?
3. Am I still using my checklist on every trade?
4. Is the market behaving differently, like trending less or moving faster?
5. What would I tell a friend who just had this same streak?

For more on each kind, see how to handle a losing streak and overconfidence in trading.

Turning answers into change

Answers only help if you look back at them. Here's a simple monthly habit.

1. Read the whole month in one sitting. It takes 20 minutes.
2. Highlight repeats. Any phrase that shows up 3+ times is a pattern.
3. Turn one pattern into a rule. For example, "rushed" before 4 losses becomes "if I feel rushed, I wait 5 minutes."
4. Add that rule to your plan. Then watch for it next month.

That's how a journal goes from a diary to a tool.

A one-page template

If you want a page to copy, here's a short daily version using prompts from above:

• Morning: sleep 1–5 · mood word · reports and times · today's one setup · daily stop
• Each trade: one-sentence reason · exit and why · units · feeling word
• After each trade: rules followed? · result in units · one thing done well
• Evening: rule score for the day · total units · one lesson · one thing for tomorrow

Try it today

1. Pick 3 prompts from "before the session" and answer them before your next practice session.
2. Add prompt 15 to every trade this week.
3. Put a 20-minute "read the month" reminder in your calendar for 4 weeks from now.

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