# How to Journal Order Block Setups

> A practical guide to logging order block entries in your trading journal. What fields to record, which tags to use, and how to measure OB performance.

**URL:** https://traderjournal.app/price-action/how-to-journal-order-block-setups

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# How to Journal Order Block Setups

Order blocks are one of the most popular entry setups in modern price action trading. Here is exactly how to log them to build meaningful performance data.

## What Defines a Valid Order Block Entry

Before logging the trade, you should be able to answer:
1. Which candle is the order block? (price and time)
2. Was the move away from the OB impulsive? (large candles, structure break)
3. Is the OB fresh (first touch) or has it been tested before?
4. Was there a liquidity sweep before price returned to the OB?
5. Is the HTF bias aligned with the OB direction?

If you cannot answer these cleanly, the setup may be ambiguous. Ambiguous setups are worth logging separately to measure their performance vs well-defined ones.

## Fields to Log for Every OB Trade

In Trader Journal Notes or Pre-trade plan:

```
OB candle: [date/time and price range]
OB timeframe: M15 / H1 / H4 / D1
Fresh OB: Yes / No (how many times tested)
HTF bias: Aligned / Counter-trend
Liquidity swept before: Yes / No
FVG inside OB: Yes / No
Entry method: Limit order / Market on approach
Session: London / NY
Result: Win / Loss / BE
RR achieved: [number]R
```

## Tags

- `ob-h1-fresh` — fresh order block on H1
- `ob-h4-fresh` — fresh order block on H4
- `ob-mitigated` — order block tested before (lower probability)
- `ob-sweep` — liquidity swept before OB entry
- `ob-nosweep` — OB entry without prior sweep

## Analyzing OB Data After 50 Trades

Sort by tag and compare:
- Fresh vs mitigated OB win rate
- Sweep vs no-sweep win rate
- H1 vs H4 OB performance
- London vs NY session win rate for OB trades

## Summary

Consistent OB logging turns anecdotal "order blocks work" into measurable "H4 fresh OBs with prior sweep have 62% win rate in my journal." That number is yours — no one else's — and it is the most valuable data you can have as a trader.