Journal
From the desk
Process, prop cages, and the fields that make a book honest — written for traders who already know the chart.
Trading discipline is a score, not a mood
Willpower dies in a fast market. Tag every trade against the plan, score rule adherence, and let the journal show where discipline actually leaks.
Trailing drawdown is the real boss on a futures combine
Profit target is the marketing. Trailing drawdown, daily loss, and consistency are the mechanics that end most combines. Journal them on the account, not in your head.
Live books and prop desks are not the same journal
Mixing a brokerage account and a futures combine in one P&L number hides the only risk that can kill the desk: the firm’s rules, not your strategy.
How to journal a trade so the numbers can talk
A useful journal is not a diary. Capture the few fields that let P&L, R, session, and mistakes separate luck from a repeatable desk.