Writing the exit reason before closing, not after

[FXS London Scalper]

A small rule worth trying: before closing a trade manually, type the reason into the journal first. Only then click close.

Allowed reasons are short and specific: "target", "stop", "time stop", "structure broken" with the level, "news in 5 minutes", or "rule break". If the reason doesn't fit one of those, that's a sign.

What to expect:

• Fewer manual closes. Often you start typing and realise there's no real reason, just discomfort.
• The manual closes that remain should be mostly real structure breaks. Compare their average result before and after.
• A more honest journal. A reason written after the fact always sounds better than it was.

The cost is a few seconds of delay. On a fast move that can matter, which is why stops and targets stay as orders in the platform. The rule only applies to discretionary exits.

Does anyone else make themselves justify an exit before taking it? Did it change your numbers?