Prop-firm traders do not only need to be profitable. They need to stay eligible. A journal should make rule pressure visible before the trader adds risk to a fragile account.
Journal the rule state, not only the trade
Every trade changes the account state. The review should show daily loss used, drawdown used, consistency pressure, open review flags, and whether the account is safe for another trade.
- Track challenge, funded, personal, and demo accounts separately
- Review rule pressure before the next session
- Write a stop-trading rule before the day starts
Measure behaviour that gets accounts failed
Many account failures come from behaviour, not one bad setup. Overtrading, revenge trading, breaking max loss, trading news without a plan, or increasing size after a loss should be visible in the journal.
- Tag revenge trades and rule breaks
- Track when size was raised for the wrong reason
- Separate clean losing trades from account-damaging mistakes
Use screenshots to protect payout reviews
Screenshots and notes help a trader explain the process behind a trade. That matters when reviewing discipline, consistency, and whether the account is being traded responsibly.
- Attach chart evidence to key trades
- Keep notes on news windows, risk changes, and account state
- Review payout safety before scaling