My Post-Trade Review Template for Better Decisions
After every trade on large-cap names I keep a short log to spot patterns in my thinking. The five fields are thesis, invalidation level, size rationale, emotion at entry, and one process fix.
Here is the simple markdown table I use:
| Field | Entry notes | Follow-up notes |
|------------------|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Thesis | Core reason I entered | Did the original reason hold? |
| Invalidation | Price or event that would prove me wrong | Was it respected or moved? |
| Size rationale | Position size based on conviction and risk | Too large, too small, or matched? |
| Emotion | Calm, FOMO, revenge, or overconfident | How did it affect execution? |
| Process fix | One habit or checklist item to adjust next time | Applied on the following trade? |
Filling this out the same evening keeps the review honest and prevents the next trade from repeating the same slip. Over a few dozen entries the fixes start to show up in the size and emotion columns most often.
You can find similar review templates and free tools discussed on YouTube.