Free trading resource
Trading Journal Spreadsheet Template
Log trades in a basic Excel journal with filters, dropdowns and a small summary, or use the CSV files for imports. The examples are separate from your empty working sheet. No email gate.
Useful before you need a full journal app
The workbook tracks execution and review context without forcing a one-trade audit. The CSV version is also built against TDLab's CUSTOMCSV mapping.
Excel workbook
Empty Journal, formula Summary, three fictional examples and a short Read me sheet.
Blank CSV
One clean header row for import or manually prepared trade data.
Filled example
Three fictional trades showing valid dates, directions, decimals and optional price levels.
Core fields
The minimum useful trade record
TDLab requires a symbol, direction and valid close time to build a trade. The template also treats opening time and result as core data because a technically accepted row can still be too incomplete for useful review.
SymbolMNQInstrument, ticker, pair or contract.
SideBuyUse Buy/Sell or Long/Short consistently.
OpenTime2026-07-14 09:35:00Strongly recommended for duration and sequence analysis.
CloseTime2026-07-14 10:12:00Required. Use the same timezone throughout the file.
NetPnL78.38Signed result: positive for a win, negative for a loss.
Format rules
Keep the file predictable
Keep one trade per row and do not merge cells or add title rows above the headers.
Use one date format throughout the file. YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss is the least ambiguous choice.
Use a decimal point in the downloadable template. Do not add currency symbols to numeric cells.
Keep every timestamp in one timezone, then choose that same timezone during import.
Use positive PnL for wins and a leading minus sign for losses.
If NetPnL already includes costs, leave Fees, Commission and Swap empty so costs are not counted twice.
Setup, plan adherence, execution quality, mistakes and emotions are review fields, not execution-export fields. Import the objective trade first, then complete those fields during review.
Import workflow
From CSV to reviewable trades
- 1
Prepare
Keep the template headers and replace the example rows with your own closed trades.
- 2
Import
Select Custom CSV, choose the timezone used in the file and upload it to the correct account.
- 3
Verify
Check imported and skipped counts, then spot-check timestamps, direction, size and PnL.
- 4
Review
Add setup, process and discipline fields after the objective record is clean.
Need the exact steps?
The import guide covers supported file types, timezone preview, duplicate handling, plan limits and platform-specific exports.
Read the import guideA spreadsheet is useful until it becomes the bottleneck
The workbook is intentionally basic: it gives you ownership of the file and enough structure to test the habit. TDLab becomes useful when manual tagging, cross-account review and repeated pattern analysis start taking too much work. Read what a useful trading journal should track, or calculate risk before adding the next trade.