Writing the exit reason before closing, not after
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2026 11:21 am
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:
Does anyone else make themselves justify an exit before taking it? Did it change your numbers?
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.
Does anyone else make themselves justify an exit before taking it? Did it change your numbers?