Well, for the third time this year, I have broke many of my entry/exit rules and tried to force a trade that didn't work. I am not writing this post to talk about my stubbornness, but to reveal one of the best ways I review and journal my trades.
After all three trades failed, actually, the second trade would have made up for the first loss if I wasn't so greedy and followed my rules--I was not in the mood to review and record my trades. It's hard to even think about trading when you are undisciplined and upset. So I decided to wait until Sunday morning to review and record the trades in The4xJournal. (These were Friday trades)
So here's how I was able to review and see all my mistakes. I use a program called Blueberry Flashback Express to screen record every trade I enter. I know there is a lot of software available to do this but let me explain the Flashback advantage.
This FREE program allows you to record sections of your screen, with or without sound. (I record only a section of my screen and without the sound, keeping the movie file size smaller.) If you keep the movie in the native Flashback Express format, a one hour movie is only 3 megabytes! This is small for a computer movie and the perfect way to record your trades.
I always convert my movies to Flash format, the only free export available on the Flashback Express version. Of course after converting the movie, the file size shoots up to 72 megabytes. Why do I convert them? Well I don't like the Blueberry Flashback Express player. I can't scrub (click and drag to fast forward) though the movie. So I use another free program called FLV Player to review my exported Flash movies.
Now the question is, do I archive or link them to journal entries in The4xJournal? The answer is no. Although I could archive them in The4xJournal, I prefer to put them in one folder on my computer, separating the native Blueberry Flashback Express files and FLV files in separate file folders. When I name the movie file, I put the date of the trade so I can always look up the trade in The4xJournal.
In American Football, after a team completes their possession of the ball, the quarterback on the sidelines flips through instant photos of the previous plays. After the game, the players review the recorded game video to see what they did right and wrong.
Just like any performance related activity, reviewing and reflecting to improve your skill is the key to success. That's why I record and review my trades and archive screenshots in The4xJournal.
BB Flashback Express
FLV Player
