How do I review my trades each week?

Writing down your trades is step one. But a log you never read can't help you. A weekly review is where you find the habits that cost you money. It works the same for crypto, memecoins, NASDAQ, S&P, or commodity futures. Here is a simple way to do it in about 30 minutes.

Choose a set time, like Saturday morning or Sunday night. Do it when the market is closed and your emotions have cooled. Reviewing right after a bad day often turns into beating yourself up instead of learning.

Before you open single trades, write down:

• How many trades you took
• How many days were green and how many were red
• Your biggest win and your biggest loss
• How many trades broke one of your rules

Don't judge yet. Just get the facts on one page.

Put each trade in one of two piles:

1. Followed my plan
2. Broke my plan (no setup, too big, moved the stop, traded after my daily limit, and so on)

This is the most useful split in trading. A losing trade that followed your plan is fine. A winning trade that broke your plan is a warning.

Look at the "broke my plan" pile. What shows up most? Common ones:

• Trading right after a loss to win it back
• Taking more trades after a green morning
• Trading while distracted
• Sizing up when bored or excited

Pick one mistake that showed up the most. Only one.

Ask when your trades work and when they don't:

• What time of day were your best trades?
• Was the market trending or choppy?
• Were you calm, rushed, or tired?

Some traders find most of their losses come in one hour or one kind of market. That alone can be worth a new rule.

Turn your top mistake into one clear rule. For example:

• "After two losses in a row, I stop for the day."
• "If I'm not fully watching the screen, I don't trade."
• "No new trades after 11 AM on choppy days."

Write it where you'll see it before you trade.

At the start of each review, ask: did I follow last week's rule? If yes, keep it. If no, find out why before adding anything new.

Copy this into your journal:

Week of: ____
Trades taken: ____   Green days: ____   Red days: ____
Trades that broke my plan: ____
Most common mistake: ____
Best time / market for me: ____
Did I follow last week's rule? Yes / No — why: ____
One rule for next week: ____

You don't need fancy stats to start. The goal is to see the same mistake before it shows up again. One honest review a week beats a perfect journal you never open.