Label the catalyst before you label the emotion
Why marking the scheduled event on every journal row changes how you read your own week.
After a volatile session, journals fill with feelings: frustration, relief, “I knew it.” Those words are fine — they are just not enough for event-driven trading journal analysis.
Add a hard field first: the catalyst name and time. FOMC 14:00 ET, AAPL earnings, Thai CPI. When the week is over, sort by that field. You will often find that “random” mistakes cluster on the same event types.
If you skip the label, later-you will invent a story that flatters the P&L. The label keeps the calendar in charge of the narrative.