Trade Notes: Your Path to Better Trading

Most trading journals lock you into their idea of what matters. Journalit is different—every trade note is fundamentally a markdown file with structured trade data at the top and unlimited space below for whatever analysis your trading brain needs.

Your Infinite Trading Canvas

This is what sets Journalit apart. You're not stuck with someone else's template or limited fields. Every trade note gives you:

A structured view at the top: Clean, consistent display of your essential trade data (P&L, timing, setup, etc.) that automatically syncs from MetaTrader or manual entry.

Unlimited markdown space below: Your personal canvas for whatever analysis matters to you. Want to add detailed chart analysis with multiple screenshots? Go ahead. Need to embed a video of your trade execution? No problem. Want to write extensive psychology notes? The space is yours.

This means you can:

• Add unlimited images, charts, and screenshots
• Embed videos of your trade execution
• Create custom analysis sections with your own structure
• Link to external resources, news articles, or research
• Build your own templates for different trade types
• Use standard markdown formatting (tables, lists, headers, etc.)
• Copy and paste anything from anywhere into your analysis

Think of it as having the structured data capture of a professional trading platform combined with the flexibility of a personal notebook. You get both the consistency you need for analysis and the freedom to capture insights however you think best.

Different Types of Trade Notes

The system automatically creates different types of trade notes based on your trading activity:

OPEN Trades - Positions you're currently holding. These notes update in real-time showing unrealized P&L, time in trade, and any adjustments.

CLOSED Trades - Completed trades with full P&L analysis, execution details, and post-trade reflection. This is where most learning happens.

MISSED Trades - Setups you identified but didn't take. Crucial for understanding opportunity costs and improving pattern recognition.

BREAKEVEN Trades - Trades that ended neutral—neither wins nor losses.

Trade Editing Made Simple

Edit any trade details right from the note itself—no hunting through spreadsheets or platform histories. Just click the edit button and update:

• Entry and exit prices and times
• Position sizes and direction
• Commission, swap, and fee adjustments
• Add or remove trade screenshots
• Update your setups, mistakes, and accounts
• Modify tags and custom fields

The system automatically recalculates your P&L and updates all related metrics instantly. No more manual math or wondering if your numbers are accurate.

Loss Review: Learning from Losses

This is where real improvement happens. The Loss Review system appears automatically for any trade that closes at a loss, guiding you through a structured reflection process instead of just moving on.

You'll work through customizable sections that help you identify:

• What went wrong: Was it entry timing, position sizing, or exit strategy?
• Emotional factors: Did fear, greed, or overconfidence play a role?
• Rule violations: Which of your trading rules did you break?
• Lessons learned: What specific changes will you make going forward?

Instead of beating yourself up about losses, you'll turn them into data points that make you a better trader. The system tracks your review completion, so you can see which losses you've properly analyzed and which ones still need attention.

Customise the Loss Review according to YOUR needs

By going into Journalit's settings you can FULLY customise the Loss Review to ask questions which help YOU. I have put in a template which is really good for starting out but eventually you would need to adjust it to your own needs and style.

Smart Navigation Between Trades

Intelligent navigation between related trades. When reviewing a trade note, you can instantly jump to:

• Other trades from the same day using the timeline view
• Your Daily Review (DRC) where you planned these trades
• Weekly reviews that analyze the broader patterns
• Monthly performance summaries
• Related trades using the same setups or instruments

No more hunting through folders or trying to remember what trades happened when. The system connects everything contextually.

Visual Trade Analysis

Trade notes capture market conditions and mindset automatically with visual elements:

• Screenshots: Your actual trade screenshots from MetaTrader, automatically organized
• Entry/Exit Timeline: Visual representation of your trade execution
• Performance Metrics: Immediate P&L, percentage returns, and position statistics
• Trade Classification: See instantly if this was a breakout, reversal, or continuation trade

The visual elements aren't just pretty—they help you spot patterns in successful trades that you can replicate, and warning signs in losing trades that you can avoid.

Trade Metadata That Matters

Rich metadata that actually helps with analysis:

• Setup Types: Tag trades by the technical patterns you traded
• Mistake Categories: Track recurring errors to eliminate them
• Account Attribution: See performance across different trading accounts
• Custom Tags: Add your own classification system
• Market Conditions: Context about volatility, news, and session timing

This metadata becomes powerful when aggregated. You'll see which setups work best for you, which mistakes cost you the most money, and which market conditions align with your profitable trading.

Review Status Tracking

Mark trades as "reviewed" once you've properly analyzed them. This prevents important trades from slipping through the cracks and ensures you're learning from every significant win or loss. The checkbox is located at the bottom of each trade note.

The system tracks when you marked each trade as reviewed, helping you maintain discipline around your post-trade analysis routine.

Integration with Daily Reviews

Your trade notes don't exist in isolation, they connect directly to your Daily Review (DRC) system. When you planned trades in your morning DRC, you can navigate directly to those actual trade notes to see how execution matched planning.

This connection is where real improvement happens. You'll see gaps between your plans and your actions, helping you either improve your planning or your execution discipline.

You can find out more about the DRC in Review Notes.

Custom Fields for Your Trading Style

Add custom fields that matter to your specific strategy—you're not locked into someone else's idea of important trade data:

• Risk-reward ratios for swing trades
• Time in trade for scalping strategies
• News events for fundamental analysis
• Technical indicators for systematic approaches
• Emotional state tracking for behavioral analysis

These custom fields integrate seamlessly with the loss review system and broader performance analytics.

You can find out more about custom fields in Customisability via Settings.

The Bottom Line

Trade notes aren't busy work—they're your competitive advantage. Every successful trader develops systems for learning from their trades. Instead of building spreadsheets and manual processes, you get a purpose-built system that makes trade analysis effortless and insightful.

Your trades become more than just wins and losses—they become a database of trading intelligence that helps you identify what's working, what isn't, and what specific changes will make you more profitable.

The goal isn't perfect trades (impossible). It's consistent improvement through systematic reflection. Trade notes make that reflection structured, comprehensive, and actually useful for becoming a better trader.