Lesson 4 of 5 · Psychology & routine

What should a prop trader record in a trading journal?

Essential3 min readMyFundedCapital Research · rules as of 17 Oct 2026

Short answer

Record every trade’s setup, entry, stop, size, result in R and your state of mind, then review it weekly. Add the numbers the rules measure: daily result versus the limits and your best day’s share of total profit.

01

Log the plan before the trade and the result after it; the gap between them is the lesson.

02

Measure results in R (multiples of risk) so different sizes compare fairly.

03

Track your best-day share so the consistency rule never surprises you at payout.

Why journal on a funded account

A journal turns vague feelings (“I trade badly on Fridays”) into facts you can act on. On a funded account it does one more job: it shows how close you are to each rule before the rule tells you.

The MyFundedCapital Terminal keeps a report with your account curve, a calendar, tags and MAE / MFE for every trade (how far a trade went against you and for you before you closed it). Use it as the data layer. Your journal adds what the platform cannot see: why you took the trade and how you felt.

Start simple. A spreadsheet or a notebook works. What matters is that every trade gets an entry the same day, while you still remember why you took it.

SetupEntryStopTargetRiskResultRule kept?
One line per trade

What to record for each trade

FieldExampleWhy it matters
SetupLondon breakout, EURUSDShows which setups pay
Planned entry, stop, target1.0840 / 25 pips / 50 pipsCompares plan with execution
Risk0.5% ($50 on $10,000)Keeps size honest
Result in R+2R, −1RCompares trades of any size
Rule checkInside plan / bent ruleFinds the habits that cause breaches
StateCalm, rushed, tiredLinks mood to results

Tags in the Terminal report make the setup column fast: tag each trade once and filter by tag in the weekly review. Keep the list of tags short, five to eight at most, or the filter stops telling you anything.

The numbers the rules care about

  • Daily result versus the daily limit. Note your worst day each week as a share of the 5% limit (or 3% on Instant Funded). If your worst day is creeping toward it, size is too large.
  • Best-day share. Best day ÷ total profit × 100. On funded accounts it must stay at or below 35%. With $2,000 of total profit, your best day may be at most $700.
  • Distance to the maximum-loss floor, in dollars, at the end of each week.

Write these three numbers every Friday. They take two minutes and turn the rules from surprises into numbers you watch, the same way you watch price.

The weekly review

Once a week, read the journal in one sitting and answer three questions:

  1. Which setup produced most of the R, and which lost it?
  2. Which bent rule cost the most?
  3. What is one change for next week?

One change, not five. Write it at the top of next week’s page and check it in your pre-market routine. Look at MAE and MFE as well. If your winners often go far against you before they work, your entries may be early. If your losers rarely move in your favour at all, your setup may need a filter. Let the data suggest the change, then test it for a few weeks before you judge it.

Over a few months the journal becomes your own rulebook, built from your own trades.

Quiz

Check yourself

0 / 3

1Why record results in R instead of dollars?
2Total profit is $2,000. On a funded account, what is the largest best day inside the consistency rule?
3How many changes should a weekly review produce?

Questions

Is the Terminal report enough, or do I need a separate journal?

The report covers the numbers. A short separate note for reasons and state of mind adds the part that explains them, and that is where most improvements come from.

How long should each journal entry take?

About a minute per trade. If it takes longer, cut fields; a journal you keep is worth more than a perfect one you abandon.

Related lessons

  1. What is the consistency rule and how do you stay inside it?Risk & rulesIntermediate3 min
  2. What should a pre-market routine checklist include?Psychology & routineBeginner3 min
  3. How do funded traders stay disciplined after a loss or a big win?Psychology & routineAdvanced3 min

Rules shown here come from the help center and the live rulebook; your program terms apply.

Bogdan Rubtsov, CEO and founder of MyFundedCapital

Bogdan Rubtsov

CEO & Founder

“Traders shouldn’t have to beg for capital or guess the rules. So every MyFundedCapital program has its own rulebook, and you can read it before you pay. We ask one question: can you manage risk? If you can, you’re welcome here. If a rule ever feels unclear, that’s ours to fix.”

Your payout story starts here

Your next chapter starts with the right account.