Using TradingView screenshots as a trading journal

Who this helps

A screenshot is not for showing off; it preserves context for future review. A good screenshot captures plan, risk, and execution.

Before entry, capture higher-timeframe direction, key zone, planned entry, and invalidation. After exit, capture whether execution followed the plan.

A practical setup order

• Hide irrelevant indicators before capturing so the chart is readable.
• Use arrows or text to mark the plan before the outcome.
• Name files with date, symbol, direction, and result.
• Review three losing screenshots weekly, not only winners.

Common traps

• Saving only beautiful winning charts creates a biased sample.
• Without time and timeframe, the setup is hard to reconstruct.
• Too many annotations can hide the actual reason for entry.

What to review later

• Does the screenshot show the pre-entry risk point?
• Is the filename searchable?
• Are losing trades documented with the same detail?