TradeReview AI / Trading journal template
Free trading journal template
A spreadsheet template with the columns that actually explain results. Use it in Excel or Google Sheets - and when you outgrow it, it imports straight into the journal. Download the CSV template.
What is in the template
| Column | What goes in it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Trade date | Daily and weekday results |
| Entry Time / Exit Time | To the minute | Hour-of-day and hold-time analysis |
| Symbol | Ticker, pair or contract | Results by instrument |
| Side | Long or Short | Whether you trade one direction better |
| Qty | Shares, contracts or units | Position sizing review |
| Entry Price / Exit Price | Average fill prices | Checking the result |
| Fees | Commissions and fees | Net results, not gross |
| P/L | Net profit or loss | The outcome |
| Planned Risk | Dollars you accepted losing before entry | Turns every result into R |
| Risk Used | What you actually put at risk | Catches oversized or moved stops |
| Setup | Your playbook name for the trade | Which setups make money |
| Mistake | The rule you broke, if any | What your mistakes cost |
| Notes | One line of context | Memory for the review |
Three example rows are included so the format is obvious. Delete them before you start.
How to use it in Google Sheets or Excel
- Download the CSV above.
- Google Sheets: File, Import, Upload, then "Replace current sheet". Excel: open the file directly.
- Add a column for R:
=P/L cell / Planned Risk cell. That single formula is the most useful thing in any trading spreadsheet. - Log trades right after the session, while the reasons are still true.
The three columns people skip - and shouldn't
Planned Risk. Without it you can only measure dollars, and dollars change with position size. With it, a small trade and a large trade are comparable, and every trade where you risked more than intended stands out.
Setup. After fifty trades, filtering by setup answers the question every trader should be able to answer and most cannot: which of my trades actually make money?
Mistake. One tag, only when a rule was broken. Sum the P/L of tagged trades and you have the price of your worst habit.
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
Spreadsheets fail quietly. Formulas break when a row is inserted, screenshots do not fit in cells, and hour-of-day or profit-factor analysis means building pivot tables you will not maintain. Most traders stop updating the sheet within a month - usually after a losing week, which is exactly when the record mattered.
The template uses column names TradeReview AI recognises, so the whole sheet imports into the journal in one step when you are ready: File, Download as CSV, then drop it into the import screen. Every calculation above - R, profit factor, expectancy, drawdown, results by setup, mistake, hour and weekday - is done for you, free.
Questions
Is the trading journal template really free?
Yes. Download the CSV and use it in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. No sign-up is needed for the template.
Can I import the template into TradeReview AI later?
Yes. The column names match what the importer recognises, so the whole file imports in one step without mapping columns.
How do I calculate R in the spreadsheet?
Divide the P/L by the Planned Risk for each row. A trade that made twice what you risked is +2R; a full stop-out is -1R.
What is the difference between Planned Risk and Risk Used?
Planned Risk is what you decided to risk before entering. Risk Used is what you actually risked, including a moved stop or added size. The gap between them is one of the most revealing numbers in a journal.
Skip the pivot tables
Import the template - or your broker's export - and get R, profit factor, drawdown and every breakdown calculated for you. Free, no card.