Only remember “how much you made”—during review, it’s easiest to turn luck into a method.
Example scenario: You buy a coin with 1000 USDT at a price of 10 USDT, getting 100 units. The price rises to 12 USDT, and you sell—your gross profit is 200 USDT. When recording, you only write “+200”, without noting why you bought or what conditions caused you to admit your judgment was no longer valid. A few days later, you see a similar move again, and you might treat this profit as proof that “if you see an uptrend, you should sell.” But that 200 USDT might have come from planned take-profit, or it might simply be an impulsive decision that happened to sell near the top. The outcome is the same—whether it can be repeated with entirely different circumstances is another question.
The wrong move happens when you fill in notes after placing the order: you only copy the entry price and profit/loss, leaving the reasoning to memory. Change this step: before you place the trade, write down “why I’m entering” and “what would make me give up.” After the trade, then add the actual exit reason. The reasoning must be checkable, and the invalidation conditions must be determinable—not just “it didn’t feel right.” During review, first hide the profit/loss; only check whether these notes can explain your actions. If they can’t, don’t treat this profit as valid experience.
Example scenario: You buy a coin with 1000 USDT at a price of 10 USDT, getting 100 units. The price rises to 12 USDT, and you sell—your gross profit is 200 USDT. When recording, you only write “+200”, without noting why you bought or what conditions caused you to admit your judgment was no longer valid. A few days later, you see a similar move again, and you might treat this profit as proof that “if you see an uptrend, you should sell.” But that 200 USDT might have come from planned take-profit, or it might simply be an impulsive decision that happened to sell near the top. The outcome is the same—whether it can be repeated with entirely different circumstances is another question.
The wrong move happens when you fill in notes after placing the order: you only copy the entry price and profit/loss, leaving the reasoning to memory. Change this step: before you place the trade, write down “why I’m entering” and “what would make me give up.” After the trade, then add the actual exit reason. The reasoning must be checkable, and the invalidation conditions must be determinable—not just “it didn’t feel right.” During review, first hide the profit/loss; only check whether these notes can explain your actions. If they can’t, don’t treat this profit as valid experience.