If the monthly review takes a Saturday, I will skip it. So I built one that fits a timer.
45 minutes. Phone in another room. Journal and calendar only.
Minutes 0–10 — the count
– Number of trades
– Net R
– Winning / losing days (not win rate of every scalp)
– Rule-breaks
– Markets traded vs markets on the watchlist
I do not redraw charts yet. I only count. If the numbers are not in the journal, the review is already the lesson: I did not record enough to learn.
Minutes 10–25 — three trades only
I pick:
– Best A-grade trade (followed rules)
– Worst F-grade trade (broke rules), even if it made money
– One skipped trade I still think about
I write three sentences each. Not a recap of the whole month. Three trades teach more than thirty screenshots I will not look at again.
Minutes 25–35 — one pattern
I look for a repeat. Typical ones:
– Losses cluster after 2 p.m.
– Size crept up after two winners
– I added a sixth name every time the list was quiet
– News days account for most of the F-grades
One pattern. If I find four, I pick the most expensive.
Minutes 35–45 — one change
I write a single rule for the next month. Examples:
– “No new risk after 14:00 local.”
– “Sample size stays 0.5% until 20 A-grade trades.”
– “News days are Mode A unless the swing was already on the book.”
Then I put that rule at the top of next month’s first page.
What I refuse to do in this meeting
– Design a new indicator
– Change the whole plan
– Raise size because the month was green
The review is for subtraction. Add later if the next month’s count says you earned it.
Set the timer. When it rings, you are done even if the spreadsheet still looks ugly. A finished short review beats an abandoned perfect one.