Journal the size decision, not only the entry
Entries get screenshots. Size decisions deserve the same ink — or the habit never sticks.
Traders often photograph the chart at entry and skip the arithmetic that produced the order quantity. Months later they cannot explain why Tuesday’s size differed from Thursday’s.
Minimum fields
- Equity used for the calculation that day
- Fraction or ATR rule applied
- Entry, invalidation, distance
- Pounds at risk and units filled
- Open correlated exposure after the fill
Review cadence
Once a week, sort the journal by pounds at risk rather than by P&L. Look for drift: sizes creeping up after a win streak, or stops widening to keep a favourite share count. Those patterns show up in the size column first.
Classroom habit
In the intensive we fill these fields on paper before anyone talks about targets. The physical pause is intentional — it interrupts the urge to click first and justify later.