Who this is for — To distinguish a planned trade from an emotional click. If you do not know why you entered, you cannot improve.
The entry reason is the written justification for opening a position: which condition on the chart or in the plan you saw before buying or selling.
In plain terms — "Why am I long?" — answer in one sentence before clicking. If the answer is "I don't know" or "because it was rising," that is fomo, not a setup (Silver).
Good reason vs bad reason (Bronze)
| Good reason (basic) | Bad reason |
|---|---|
| "Range breakout with volume" | "Everyone was talking about it" |
| "Pullback on daily trend" | "I needed to recover" |
| "Written plan: rule X" | "I was bored" |
At Bronze, honesty is enough: even "I'm learning, demo entry on a green candle" is worth recording.
Example — Journal: "Long because price closed above resistance at 50, stop below 48." After a loss, review: the resistance was not confirmed by trading-volume. Clear lesson for the next trade.
Card
- What it is: documented reason for opening a position.
- When to use it: before or immediately at entry.
- Typical mistake: inventing the reason afterwards, retroactively.
Bronze path — Module: First trading journal. Part of bronze-path.