A trading journal only becomes valuable when logging is fast enough that you never skip it. TradeFlowFX is designed so the basics take seconds, and the fields that matter most — mood, observations, screenshots — can be added while the trade is still open, not reconstructed from memory hours later. This walkthrough covers the entire flow for a first trade, from opening the entry form to reviewing your Trade Score after the close.
Before you start: download TradeFlowFX from the installation guide if you have not already. The free plan includes 5 trades and full sample data so you can try every feature before upgrading.
01 / Open a New TradeStart with the basics.
- 1 Click "New Trade" from the dashboard
The entry form opens with all the fields you need for a complete log: instrument, direction, entry price, stop-loss, take-profit, and position size. You can open the form at any time — before entering the market, at entry, or even after if you forgot to log in real time.
Why it matters: Logging at entry captures your reasoning before the outcome biases your memory. - 2 Select the instrument and direction
Pick your currency pair, index, crypto, or equity from the instrument picker. Set direction to Long (buy) or Short (sell). TradeFlowFX supports forex, indices, crypto, and equities across the same journal — your analytics will filter by asset class automatically.
- 3 Enter price levels and position size
Add your entry price, stop-loss (in pips or price level), and take-profit target. Enter position size in lots. TradeFlowFX automatically calculates your dollar risk and R-multiple so you can see before you click Save whether the trade fits your risk plan.
Why it matters: Seeing the dollar risk before entering catches sizing mistakes before they cost you.
Not sure about sizing? Use our free Position Size Calculator to confirm your lot size matches your risk percentage before opening the trade. For a deeper breakdown of position sizing rules, read How to Size Your Positions.
02 / Complete the Pre-Trade ChecklistYour rules, every time.
- 4 Tick every item on your pre-trade checklist
Before saving the trade, you complete the pre-trade checklist you defined in your trading plan. Common items: setup criteria confirmed, confluence factors present, risk percentage correct, no high-impact news within the hold period. Each item you check contributes to your Trade Score on the "Followed Plan" dimension.
Why it matters: Checklists create friction for rule breaks — which is exactly what you want when discipline is fragile. - 5 Log your mood and confidence at entry
Select your emotional state from the mood picker: calm, anxious, confident, impatient, overconfident, revenge-driven. Set your confidence level (1–5). These two data points are what separate TradeFlowFX from a standard trade log — they are what make your Psychology Heatmap meaningful later.
Why it matters: Over time, your mood log reveals which emotional states correlate with your best and worst trades.
If you are new to logging mood, start honest rather than accurate. "I don't know" is a valid first entry. The categories sharpen naturally after a few weeks of use. Read Tracking Trading Psychology for a deeper look at why this data matters.
03 / During the TradeLog observations in real time.
- 6 Add observations, mood updates, and screenshots while the position is open
This is the core feature that makes TradeFlowFX a live trade companion. While the position is live, you can add timestamped observations ("price stalling at the 50 EMA"), update your mood ("starting to feel anxious after 30 min in drawdown"), and attach chart screenshots. The journal grows with the trade rather than being reconstructed after the close.
Why it matters: Emotional context fades within minutes of the trade closing. Real-time logging captures what actually happened, not what you remember happening.
You do not need to log every minute. Add an observation when something changes — a mood shift, a new piece of information, a decision you made about the trade. Three to five entries on a typical trade is enough for patterns to emerge.
04 / Close the Trade and ReviewThe feedback loop that makes journaling valuable.
- 7 Record the exit and review your Trade Score
When you close the position, TradeFlowFX asks for the exit price and whether the exit was planned (take-profit hit), protective (stop-loss hit), or manual (you exited based on discretion). It then generates a Trade Score — a grade from A to D out of 100, broken down across Process Quality (60 pts) and Outcome Quality (40 pts).
Why it matters: The Trade Score separates how well you traded from whether you made money — the most important distinction in long-term improvement.
Your first few Trade Scores will feel unfamiliar — a losing A-grade trade is common, as is an uncomfortable C-grade win. That friction is the point: it forces you to look at process independently from outcome. Read Understanding Trade Scores for a complete breakdown of how the score is calculated and how to use it.
05 / What Happens NextYour data compounds from here.
After five to ten logged trades, the app starts to surface patterns: which setups perform best, which emotional states correlate with your A-grade trades, which session times produce your worst decisions. These patterns are the entire value of journaling — and they only work if the logging habit is consistent.
The first week is the hardest. Log every trade, even the small ones. Log the ones you are embarrassed about — those are often the most informative. The app is private, stored locally, and no one else sees the data. The honesty is for you.
For the bigger picture on what a trading journal is built to do and why it works, read What Is a Trading Journal. For the principles behind the live-companion approach, see Data Tracking vs Behaviour Tracking.