Journal Template (Sticky)

[NYC88]

Short enough to finish. Strict enough to learn from.

Long novels that you abandon by Wednesday teach nothing. I run short rows and ruthless codes. Vanity writing is for memoirs. This is maintenance.

Daily header

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DATE (ET):
SLEEP (1–5):
MAX DD SET $ / R:
PLAN ADHERENCE (1–5):
NETWORK / VPS NOTE (optional):

Per trade row

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# | time_et | ticker | setup_id | side | size | intent | fill | slip_c | result_R | mistake_code | emotion_code | notes

Mistake codes (starter set — steal / extend)

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CHASE, EARLY, LATE, NO_PLAN, SIZE_UP_REVENGE, SKIPPED_STOP, MOVED_STOP,
ILLIQUID, NEWS_BLIND, BROKE_FIRST15, HOTKEY_ERR, SPREAD_TAX, OTHER

Emotion codes

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CALM, FOMO, FEAR, BORED, ANGRY, TILT

Setup IDs (examples — use your own vocabulary)

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OR_HOLD, OR_BREAK, VWAP_CONT, VWAP_FADE, GAP_GO, GAP_FADE, TAPE_SWEEP

End-of-day (5 lines max)

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What worked:
What breached:
One adjustment tomorrow (single):
Breaker hit? Y/N
Screenshots linked (optional):

Minimum viable discipline

If you only log ticker, setup_id, result_R, mistake_code, you can still learn. Empty novels help no one. Missed days: mark `NO_JOURNAL` — hiding skips biases your stats. I've marked NO_JOURNAL. It stung. Good.

Weekly excerpts OK on the board. No balance flex. Post a day → include mistake codes. Wins without codes teach little.

What's your minimum viable log on a busy day?
Which mistake_code dominates your last 20 trades?
Do you mark NO_JOURNAL on skip days, or quietly pretend they didn't happen?
One adjustment tomorrow — do you actually cap it at one?

[Fairman]

I am replying in **Journal Template (Sticky)** the way I would want it written for a serious US equities/ETF scalp desk: calm, checklist-first, and allergic to mediocrity. Board context (Member Trading Journals & Performance Logs) does not change the job — define the rail, size from gates, invalidation in cents, and skip when the sheet is incomplete. Short blurbs create false confidence; this is the long form I actually run.

Replying in-thread with operable constraints — not forum combat. If these rails disagree with your framing, treat it as a checklist offer.

A journal that does not change next week's size, skip, or sticky line is theater. Tags beat unexplained equity curves.

## Rails that stay on the sheet
- Template serves use.
- Bloat kills honesty.
- Invalidation written in cents or an auditable structure break before entry.

## Framework I will not skip
1. Write the definition before the open (level, trigger, invalidation in cents, size, max loss). Verbal plans do not count.
2. Liquidity and spread gates beat narrative. If live spread exceeds max, observe or cut — the chart can still "look perfect."
3. One clean attempt per idea in a window. Failed attempt means new structure, not revenge.
4. Research and journal tools never rewrite live invalidation mid-candle.
5. Tag the trade or the skip the same day — Sunday-you cannot fix what Monday-you did not name.

## Worked example — Journal template bloat
Sticky template with 40 fields unused. Keep minimal fields that change behavior; optional prose separate.

I keep examples in cents and clock time so Sunday review can tag the behavior — not rewrite it as a mood.

## Failure modes
- Ignoring the rails above on **Journal Template (Sticky)** and substituting confidence.
- Adding size after adverse selection because the story still feels right.
- Paying open microstructure tax that midday memory never modeled.

## When to skip
Skipping is a first-class decision — even when the chart still looks persuasive:
- Checklist incomplete at 09:20 ET observe or one pre-written A+ only.
- Live spread outside max for that symbol and session bucket.
- Index violently disagrees with a single-name thesis and no reduced-size RS plan is on the sheet.
- Platform, hotkeys, locate, or flatten path unverified after reconnect/update.
- Daily loss, PDT slot, or prop buffer tripwire already touched.
- News/FOMC/CPI window where the size-cut card says stand down.

## Closing
For **Journal Template (Sticky)**, keep operable boredom: written rails, measured cents, index context when relevant, and a skip that needs no apology. Process quality beats ticket volume.