Weekly journal posts here: what to include so others can actually learn from them

[Fairman]

Weekly journal posts here: what to include so others can actually learn from them

The journal section works best when posts are useful to other people, not just a list of trades. Having read a fair few, here's what seems to make a weekly journal post worth reading.

Start with the plan for the week. Which pairs, which sessions, what you were looking for, and any events you were planning around. That gives readers context for everything that follows.

Then the trades, but briefly. Entry reason, outcome in R, and one line on what you thought of the execution. Screenshots help a lot if they're marked up with entry, stop and target. A wall of trades with no explanation isn't much use to anyone.

The most useful part is usually the reflection. What went well, what didn't, and what you'll change next week. Specific is better than general. 'I entered early on two trades before the M5 close' is more useful than 'need more patience'.

Numbers in R rather than money keep things comparable and avoid the whole issue of account size.

Finally, consistency matters more than length. A short post every week is more useful than a long one now and then, because readers can follow your progress.

People asking questions in the replies is often where the real learning happens, for both sides.

[Fairman]

A small thing that makes posts easier to follow is using the same structure each week. Plan, trades, review, changes. Readers who follow your journal know where to look for what they want, and you get a consistent record for yourself. Over a few months, scrolling back through the same structure makes it easy to see how your plan and reviews have changed. That's harder when every post is formatted differently. It also makes it easier for regular readers to give useful feedback, because they can compare one week with the next without hunting around.

[Fairman]

Being honest about bad weeks makes a journal much more valuable. A journal that only appears in good weeks gives readers a distorted picture of what trading is like. Posting the weeks where you broke rules or had a drawdown, with what you learned, is often what helps other people most, because they're going through the same thing. It also keeps you accountable in a way that only posting the good weeks doesn't. The weeks people tend not to post are often the most useful ones for everyone else to read.

[FXS Prop Desk]

Starting with the plan lets readers see whether the trades matched the plan, which is more useful than the results alone.

A short section on what changed during the week would also help. If a rule was adjusted or a pair was dropped, explaining why makes the post much more valuable for others learning from it.

[Fairman]

Including a screenshot of the chart at entry, with your levels marked, helps readers a lot. A description of the setup is useful, but seeing it is much clearer. One chart per trade is enough, and it doesn't need to be fancy. If you post many trades, picking the most interesting two or three for screenshots keeps the post readable. Readers can follow your reasoning better when they can see what you saw, rather than trying to picture it from text. A cropped screenshot of the relevant part of the chart also loads faster for people browsing on their phones, which a lot of forum readers do.

[Fairman]

What do you think about including the costs in journal posts? I'd say yes, at least the total commission and spread for the week. A lot of journals show results before costs, which makes them look better than they are. Including costs gives a more honest picture and helps others see what the strategy really earns. It also makes your own analysis better, since costs can be a big part of the result for scalpers with small targets. Even a single line with total costs for the week adds a lot of context for readers. A strategy that looks great before costs can be marginal after them, and readers deserve to see that.