# ICT and SMC Price Action: What to Journal

> How to adapt your journaling practice for SMC and ICT price action setups. What fields matter, which tags to use, and how to measure your edge.

**URL:** https://traderjournal.app/price-action/smart-money-concepts-price-action-journaling

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# ICT and SMC Price Action: What to Journal

Smart Money Concepts and ICT methodology use price action as the core entry trigger. Journaling these setups requires different fields than indicator-based trading.

## The Key Difference From Traditional Price Action

Traditional price action logging: "Entered at double bottom on H4."

SMC/ICT logging needs more context:
- Was there a liquidity sweep before entry?
- What order block or FVG was used?
- What timeframe confirmed the setup?
- Was the entry during a kill zone?

Each variable affects probability. Without logging them, you cannot know which combination of factors gives you your best edge.

## Recommended Tags for SMC Price Action

Use these tags consistently in Trader Journal:

```
ob-h1       Order block on H1
ob-h4       Order block on H4
fvg-m15     Fair value gap on M15
sweep-long  Liquidity sweep before long entry
sweep-short Liquidity sweep before short entry
bos-long    Break of structure continuation long
choch-short Change of character to short
ote         Optimal Trade Entry zone
london      London session entry
nykz        New York kill zone entry
```

## The Pre-Trade Plan Template

Use the Pre-trade plan field in Trader Journal before each trade:

```
HTF Bias (D1/H4): Bullish
Session: NY Kill Zone
Liquidity swept: Yes — equal lows at [price]
Setup: H1 OB + M15 FVG
Entry zone: [price1]–[price2]
SL: Below OB at [price]
TP: Previous high at [price]
Invalidation: Close below [price]
```

## After 50 Trades: What to Look For

Filter by tag to analyze:
- Do `sweep` trades outperform non-sweep entries?
- Does `london` outperform `nykz` for your pairs?
- Is `ob-h4` more reliable than `ob-h1`?

The answers are personal — they depend on your pairs, timeframes, and execution. The journal surfaces your specific edge.

## Summary

SMC/ICT price action has more variables than traditional TA. More variables = more data = more insight — but only if you log consistently from the start.