A solid trading plan serves as your personal roadmap in the financial markets. Below is a structured trading plan template that you can customize based on your preferred market (e.g., crypto, forex, stocks) and style (e.g., swing trading, scalping, day trading):
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1. Trading Goals
Short-term goal: e.g., Grow account by 5% monthly.
Long-term goal: e.g., Achieve financial freedom or generate consistent passive income.
Metrics: Monthly PnL, win rate %, R:R ratio.
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2. Trading Style
Type: Day trading / Swing trading / Scalping / Position trading.
Timeframes: e.g., Entry on 5M, confirmation from 1H and 4H.
Strategy: SMC-based / Trend-following / Breakout / Mean reversion.
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3. Market Focus
Assets Traded: e.g., BTC, ETH, SOL, or major forex pairs.
Trading Sessions: e.g., London open, New York overlap, or 24/7 (for crypto).
Avoid News Events: High-impact events like FOMC, CPI, etc.
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4. Strategy Rules
Entry Criteria:
Break of structure (BOS) or CHoCH (change of character)
Confirmed order block (OB) or breaker
Price reacts at a point of interest (POI) with confluence
Imbalance or fair value gap (FVG) fill
Exit Criteria:
TP based on last high/low, or fixed R:R like 1:2
Exit on liquidity sweep or reversal signal
Invalidation:
Break of structure in opposite direction
Entry without confirmation
5. Risk Management
Account Risk Per Trade: 1-2%
Max Daily Loss: 3 trades or 5% of account
Max Weekly Loss: 10% (pause and review)
Position Sizing: Based on stop-loss distance and risk %
6. Psychology Rules
Avoid FOMO and revenge trading
Accept losses as part of the process
Follow your trading hours—no after-hours trading
Journal every trade
7. Trading Journal
Record:
Date & time
Setup & market conditions
Entry, SL, TP
Rationale for the trade
Outcome (W/L)
Emotions & mistakes
Review Weekly: Identify patterns and mistakes.
8. Backtesting & Optimization
Test your strategy on past data (manual or tool-based).
Optimize entries, SL/TP, and filters based on results.
Stick to one strategy until consistently profitable.
