Review · 6 min read
How to review losing trades without rewriting history
Most loss reviews are arguments with the past. A structured review asks one question instead: was this a bad outcome, or a bad decision?
Classify every loss into one of four buckets
The classification matters more than the commentary, because it is the part you can count later.
- Rule-following loss: the setup was valid, you sized and exited as planned. Nothing to fix.
- Execution error: valid idea, wrong entry, wrong size, moved stop, exited early or late.
- Rule break: you took a trade your own plan does not allow.
- Environment mismatch: the setup is real but not in this session, spread, or volatility regime.
Review the decision at the moment you made it
Use the screenshot you took at entry, not the finished chart. The completed candle makes every entry look obvious and every exit look premature; it is the most reliable way to learn the wrong lesson.
Write what was visible then, in one sentence, and what your plan said to do about it.
Count the buckets before drawing conclusions
One loss teaches almost nothing. Twenty classified losses tell you whether you have a strategy problem, an execution problem or a discipline problem — and those three have completely different fixes.
If most losses are rule-following, the strategy needs testing or the market has changed. If most are rule breaks, your next review should be about triggers and cooldowns, not about entries.
End with one measurable rule
A review that produces "be more patient" cannot be checked next week. A review that produces "no new position within 20 minutes of a loss" can be checked against your own trade times.
Write the rule down where you will see it before you trade, and check adherence during the next review. SeeResult stores your rules alongside your synced trades so adherence can be measured rather than remembered.