What to Do with Your Journal After Passing an Evaluation
Passing a prop firm evaluation is a major milestone, but it’s not the end of the journey—it’s a transition into an even more demanding phase. Many traders let their journaling habit slip once they get funded, assuming that the hard work is behind them. But if you want to maintain your funded status with firms like Instant Funding or The Legends Trading, your journal becomes even more important. It’s now your accountability partner, your roadmap, and your trading coach rolled into one.
Why You Should Keep Journaling Post-Evaluation
Funded accounts come with tighter rules, real profit potential, and limited room for error. The moment you get funded, you’re not just being tested on performance—you’re being tested on consistency. Continuing to journal helps you:
- Stay grounded and follow your plan
- Detect shifts in performance before they become drawdowns
- Document payout cycles, performance fees, and rule compliance
- Prepare for scaling opportunities or potential resets
Transitioning from Evaluation Journal to Funded Journal
During the evaluation phase, most journaling focuses on learning and optimization. Once you’re funded, the focus shifts slightly:
- Add Profit Tracking: Include net profits, payouts received, and withdrawal dates.
- Highlight Rule Adherence: Note if you’re staying within daily loss limits or other risk rules.
- Include Account Milestones: Document scaling progress, profit splits, and performance targets.
- Track Long-Term Metrics: Weekly or monthly win rates, equity curves, and volume trends become more relevant.
Set a Weekly Review Schedule
Funded traders should conduct journal reviews at least once per week. Use that time to:
- Grade your execution over the past 5 days
- Spot any deviation from your core setups
- Adjust goals based on current market volatility
- Prepare a game plan for the week ahead
Journal Red Flags That Signal a Reset Risk
Monitoring your journal helps you avoid losing your funded account. Warning signs to look for include:
- Repeated overtrading or increasing lot sizes
- Frequent violations of strategy rules
- Emotional comments in trade notes
- Decreasing win rates over consecutive weeks
When you notice these signs early, you can course correct before hitting a daily loss limit or maximum drawdown.
Journaling for Scaling and Withdrawals
If your prop firm offers scaling, your journal becomes a planning tool. Use it to track:
- Consistency benchmarks for account increases
- Monthly returns and average drawdowns
- Payout dates and withdrawal performance
Seeing these metrics all in one place helps you make smarter decisions about when to scale up, when to go flat, and when to pull profits.
What to Remove from Your Journal (and What to Add)
As you move into the funded phase, not all evaluation journal content remains relevant. Here’s what to cut and keep:
- Remove: Overly detailed breakdowns of every tick or emotional thought—focus on actionable insights.
- Add: Risk-to-profit tracking, payout milestones, and account performance logs.
Use Journal Templates Designed for Funded Traders
Not all journal formats are built for this stage. The Prop Firm Press Journal Sheets include funded account templates that track performance consistency, withdrawals, and rule compliance—making them ideal for post-evaluation journaling.
Don’t Let Success Create Complacency
Many traders celebrate their funded status and then ease off. But getting funded is only half the battle—staying funded requires even more discipline. Your journal becomes a reality check, helping you catch slippage in performance, execution, or mindset before it costs you the account.
Final Notes on Journaling After the Challenge
If you want to treat trading as a profession, then documentation doesn’t stop when the test ends. In fact, it only becomes more essential. Your journal now serves a new purpose: preserving your edge, tracking your financial growth, and ensuring you never lose sight of what got you funded in the first place.
To support this journey, download journal templates that evolve with your trading career from Prop Firm Press. These resources are designed to help traders like you transition from evaluation to funded performance with clarity and confidence.