The ICT trading journal template you don't have to build yourself
If you're searching for a template, you've probably already tried the free-text version and hit its ceiling. A notes column that says "OB + sweep, good entry" doesn't become data. It just becomes a longer notes column.
Below is the actual field list a proper ICT journal template needs. Build it yourself in a spreadsheet if you want — or skip straight to the version that's already built, already scores your execution, and already tells you which confluences work.
What fields a real ICT trading journal template needs
The trade mechanics.
Instrument, direction, entry time, session, risk-to-reward ratio, risk percentage, and result percentage. This part every template gets right — it's just typing in numbers.
Setup tags, as structured fields, not a sentence.
Bullish and bearish order blocks, fair value gaps and inverse FVGs, breaker blocks, mitigation blocks, liquidity sweeps, equal highs and lows, inducement, break of structure, change of character, optimal trade entry, Judas swing, turtle soup, silver bullet, power of three, displacement, premium and discount arrays, SMT divergence, market structure shift, equilibrium, higher timeframe points of interest, and macro windows. Each one needs to be its own field you can filter and cross-reference — not a phrase buried in a paragraph.
Behaviour tags, separate from setup tags.
Revenge trading, FOMO entries, moving stops, oversizing, entering before confirmation, trading through high-impact news, boredom trades. Most templates skip this column entirely, which means the thing that actually blows accounts never gets measured at all.
A confidence rating, set before you know the outcome.
Rate your conviction at entry, not after. Without a timestamp on the rating, it's just a memory you're editing in hindsight.
A field for whether you followed your own rules.
Yes or no. This single column is what separates an execution score from a win-rate column wearing a disguise.
Screenshot: the trade log form with setup and behaviour tags
/screenshots/template-log-form.png
Why spreadsheet templates stop working
They start clean. Then the tag column becomes free text again because a formula-driven dropdown is annoying to maintain. Then the confluence analysis you meant to build — pivot tables cross-referencing fifteen tags against outcome — never gets built, because it's a real engineering project, not a Sunday afternoon.
Most ICT traders who build their own template stop updating it within a few months. Not from laziness — from the gap between what the template captures and what it actually tells you back.
What you get instead of a spreadsheet
The same fields above, live, with three things a spreadsheet won't do for you: every trade is automatically scored from 0 to 100 and graded A+ to F on execution, not outcome. Every setup combination you've actually traded is ranked by win rate and average return, so you find your real edge instead of guessing at it. And behaviour tags get their own cost — seeing "FOMO-tagged trades average -1.8%" is a different experience than a hunch that you should be more patient.
Pricing
Free to start, with unlimited trade logging, your discipline score, streaks, ranks, calendar and core performance stats.
Pro is $7.50 a month and adds the AI coach, discipline analysis, the confluence pattern engine, key takeaways and the Weekly Review email. Every new account gets 14 days of full Pro access, starting from your first logged trade rather than the day you sign up. No card required.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just download this as a spreadsheet?
No — this page gives you the exact field list so you could build one yourself if you want to. Trade Mastery is that same structure already built, already scoring your execution, and already finding your confluences, rather than a static file you maintain by hand.
Does it work for MT4 or MT5 traders?
It doesn't connect to your broker. Trades are logged manually, deliberately — the two or three minutes you spend choosing tags and rating your confidence is the actual reflection, not overhead on top of it.
What if I already have months of history in a spreadsheet?
There's no bulk import today. Keep your old spreadsheet as an archive and start logging fresh here. Your data is never locked in either way — you can export everything as CSV or JSON at any time from Settings.
Is this financial advice?
No. Trade Mastery is a journaling and self-analysis tool. It records trades you have already taken and reports patterns in your own data. It does not provide financial advice, recommendations, signals or predictions, and it will not make you profitable. Trading carries substantial risk and most retail traders lose money.
What happens after the 14-day trial?
You keep your account, your trades, your streak and your discipline score. The AI coach, discipline analysis and pattern engine lock until you subscribe. Nothing is deleted.
Skip the spreadsheet
Free to start. Fourteen days of full access when you log your first trade.