# Pre-Trade Checklist Integration in Your Journal

> A pre-trade checklist prevents impulsive decisions. Learn how to integrate a checklist directly into your journaling routine.

**Tags:** checklist, pre-trade-routine, trading-plan, journaling
**URL:** https://traderjournal.app/trading-plans/pre-trade-checklist-integration-in-journal

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# Pre-Trade Checklist Integration in Your Journal

Pilots use checklists before takeoff to ensure safety. Traders should use checklists before entering a trade to ensure they are following their rules.

Integrating a pre-trade checklist into your journaling routine is a highly effective way to eliminate impulsive setups.

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## Designing Your Checklist

Your checklist should consist of 3 to 5 simple, yes-or-no questions. For example:

1. Is price at a key support or resistance level?
2. Has the entry trigger candle closed?
3. Have I calculated the correct position size for this stop loss?
4. Is the risk-to-reward ratio at least 1:2?
5. Am I calm and focused?

If any answer is "No," you must not enter the trade.

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## Logging the Checklist

When you log the trade in your journal, include your checklist results in the notes field. You can note: "Checklist: 5/5 compliant."

If you find yourself logging "4/5 compliant" and losing money, you have clear evidence that skipping even one checklist item is unprofitable.

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## Building a Habit

Keep your checklist visible on your desk or screen. Over time, checking your list before clicking "buy" or "sell" will become automatic.

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Trader Journal for MT4 and MT5 provides a notes field for every trade, making it easy to log your checklist compliance.

Download it today at android.traderjournal.app or ios.traderjournal.app.