Trading Journal with Screenshots: Built for Focus, Discipline, and Better Decisions
Most traders know journaling helps. Fewer traders actually do it consistently—especially in a way that’s fast enough to keep up with real markets. Traditional trading journals often turn into either (1) a spreadsheet chore or (2) an analytics dashboard that feels disconnected from what you actually saw when you made the decision.
Session (also known as Session Clips) is a different kind of trading journal app: it’s screenshot-first, designed to capture the moments that matter (breakouts, failed breakouts, entries, exits, chop, emotions, rule breaks) without interrupting your flow—then organize those moments into a trading session journal you can search, review, and export.
It’s also local-first and privacy-first: your data stays on your machine, stored locally, so you can journal honestly without worrying about where your charts and notes are going.
Below is the complete introduction: what Session is, who it’s for, how to use it daily, and the features that turn screenshots into real trading improvement.
What is Session, exactly?
Session is a desktop trading journal for active traders (stocks, options, futures, forex, crypto) built around one simple habit:
Capture the chart context at the moment you make (or almost make) a decision.
Instead of trying to remember “what you saw,” you record it—instantly—then annotate with lightweight tags and notes. Later, Session gives you fast ways to find, compare, and learn from those moments across weeks and months.
Session is built to be fast and distraction-free. It’s not trying to replace your broker, your execution platform, or your analytics stack. It’s built to capture the human layer of trading: the decision-making moments that determine whether you follow your plan.
Why a screenshot trading journal beats memory (and beats spreadsheets)
A typical day trading journal asks you to log numbers: entry, exit, size, P&L, maybe setup name. That’s useful, but incomplete. In practice, most “bad” trades weren’t caused by a lack of math—they were caused by:
- reading the market wrong in the moment
- trading chop because you wanted a move
- ignoring context (trend/day type/volatility regime)
- breaking a rule you already wrote down
- entering because of emotion (FOMO, revenge, impatience)
A screenshot trading journal fixes the biggest gap: context.
When you can review the actual chart moment (with your tags and notes), you can finally answer questions like:
- “What did a clean breakout look like when I traded it well?”
- “What did chop look like right before I overtraded?”
- “How often does my ‘retest’ entry work on volatile mornings?”
- “What do my best trades have in common visually?”
And because journaling is one of the most underutilized tools among traders, the traders who build a consistent review habit gain a compounding edge.
The core workflow: how to use Session every trading day
Session is designed around one trading day = one session.
1) Start with a pre-session plan (2 minutes)
Before you trade, fill out your pre-session notes. This is where you set guardrails while you’re calm. Keep it simple:
- market conditions (trending, ranging, choppy, volatile, quiet)
- your focus instruments (SPY, QQQ, ES, NQ, etc.)
- what you’re looking for (setups or conditions)
- what you’ll avoid (your personal “no-trade” triggers)
- max loss, max trades, and your time window
This is where Session becomes more than a day trading journal—it becomes a trading discipline tool. You’re setting your rules early so you can review your behavior later without rewriting history.
Tip: If you only write one thing, write your stop conditions: max loss and max trades. Those two alone prevent a lot of damage days.
2) Capture key moments quickly with a hotkey (while Session is open)
During the session, keep Session open and use its capture hotkey to grab a screenshot when something important happens.
Because the hotkey currently works when the app is active/focused, a simple workflow is to keep Session visible on one monitor (or quickly alt-tab to it), hit the hotkey, and go right back to your platform. The goal is still the same: make capture fast enough that you actually do it.
Capture moments like:
- entry trigger candle
- exit decision (profit take, stop, scratch)
- a rule-break moment (“I knew better…”)
- a volatility shift
- “I hesitated and missed it”
- “I chased and paid for it”
If you trade options or futures, this is especially valuable because fills can be messy, but chart context tells the real story.
3) Tag and annotate (lightweight, fast)
Each captured clip can be expanded to add:
- Tags (fast, reusable labels)
- Notes (multi-line context)
This is where your trading psychology journal becomes searchable. Tags let you build a vocabulary that you can review later in seconds.
Example tag sets that actually work:
Setup tags
BREAKOUT,PULLBACK,REVERSAL,CONTINUATION,RANGE
Market tags
CHOP,TREND,VOLATILE,LOW-VOL
Behavior tags
DISCIPLINED,HESITATION,CHASING,OVERTRADING
Emotion tags
FOMO,REVENGE,FEAR,CONFIDENT
Outcome tags
WIN,LOSS,SCRATCH,A+,B,C
Best practice: Keep a small standard vocabulary. Consistency makes searching and pattern recognition dramatically better.
4) Filter by tag to review faster
Want to see only “BREAKOUT” clips from today? Click the tag and Session filters the feed to that tag.
This sounds small, but it changes how you review:
- isolate one setup type
- compare multiple attempts
- spot where you deviated from the plan
- see what “good” vs “bad” looks like side by side
5) End with post-session reflection (5 minutes that pays you back)
At the end of the day, fill out the post-session reflection:
- what went well
- what went wrong
- key lessons
- tomorrow’s focus
This is the habit that turns screenshots into improvement. It’s also the fastest way to reduce repeated mistakes because you’re writing down the pattern while it’s fresh.
The features that make Session feel like a real tool (not homework)
Global search across all sessions (tags + notes + dates)
Session includes a global search that updates results as you type and searches across:
- tags
- notes
- dates / timestamps
This is where Session becomes a true “second brain” for trading.
Search examples that actually matter:
FOMO→ find your pattern instantlyBREAKOUT LOSS→ see what your losing breakouts looked likeCHOP→ collect the “don’t trade this” visual libraryREVERSAL→ review your best reversal conditions
Most journals focus on broker import + analytics dashboards. Those can be helpful, but Session’s strength is speed: retrieving context—your chart moment + your thinking—on demand.
Export your session (HTML file you can print or save as PDF)
Session currently exports your trading day as an HTML file saved on your computer. When you open it, it simply displays in your normal browser window—the same way your computer opens any local file.
Important: opening the export in a browser does not upload your journal to the internet.
- No cloud sync
- No account required
- No sending your screenshots anywhere
- It’s just a local file on your machine being rendered by your browser
The exported HTML includes:
- session date + context
- your pre-session notes / plan
- all screenshots with tags and notes
- your post-session reflection
Optional: If you want a PDF copy, you can use your browser’s built-in Print function:
- Mac: File → Print → Save as PDF
- Windows: Print → Destination → Microsoft Print to PDF
This keeps the workflow simple: export a local file, and print to PDF only when you want a shareable archive.
Archive (hide) clips without deleting
Not every screenshot is worth keeping visible. Session supports hiding/archiving clips so your feed stays clean, while preserving your data for later if you ever need it. Archived/hidden clips are excluded from normal browsing so you can keep your day focused.
Multi-monitor capture that fits real trading setups
If you trade on a modern setup (multiple monitors, different scaling, high-DPI screens), screenshot capture can get weird fast. Session is built to behave correctly in real trading environments so captures are readable and consistent.
Zoom controls (because everyone wants a different density)
Session includes simple zoom controls so you can tune how dense the UI feels. Set it once, and it stays the way you like it.
What makes Session different from other trading journals?
Many “best trading journal” tools emphasize trade imports, metrics, and performance dashboards. Session is intentionally different.
1) Screenshot-first (built for discretionary trading)
If your edge depends on reading structure, volatility, timing, and context—screenshots capture what spreadsheets can’t.
2) Local-first / privacy-first
Your journal stays on your device. That matters when your screenshots are literally your strategy and execution context.
3) Structured reflection is built into the workflow
Pre-session planning + post-session reflection are not “extra.” They’re the compounding engine.
4) Frictionless capture (even without a global hotkey)
Even if you’re capturing while the app is active, the key is that capture is designed to be fast and repeatable—so you can build a real habit without adding much friction to trading.
A simple tagging system you can start with today
If you want Session to deliver value quickly, start with a tight tag set:
Setup: BREAKOUT, PULLBACK, REVERSAL, RANGE Market: CHOP, TREND, VOLATILE Behavior: DISCIPLINED, CHASING, OVERTRADING Emotion: FOMO, REVENGE, FEAR Outcome: WIN, LOSS, SCRATCH, A+
With these alone, you can answer:
- “What does A+ look like for me?”
- “What pattern precedes overtrading?”
- “Which setups trigger FOMO?”
That’s the core of a useful day trading journal—not perfection, but clarity.
FAQ
Is Session a trading journal for options and futures too?
Yes. If you trade options or futures, Session is especially useful because a screenshot preserves the underlying context, levels, volatility, and structure that often explain why an entry was good or bad.
Do I need an account?
No. Session is designed to work without accounts. Your data is stored locally.
If export opens in a browser, does that mean my data goes online?
No. Export creates a local HTML file on your computer. Opening it in a browser does not upload anything. It’s simply how your computer displays the file.
How do I keep my journal from turning into clutter?
Three habits:
- archive low-value clips
- keep a consistent tag vocabulary
- do a weekly search review (e.g., search
FOMO,CHOP,A+)
The real promise: fewer repeated mistakes, faster pattern recognition
A good trading journal doesn’t just record. It teaches.
Session is built to help you:
- reduce repeated behavioral mistakes
- strengthen discipline through pre/post structure
- build a searchable library of what your edges look like
- review faster, with higher signal-to-noise
- stay private and in control of your data
If you’ve tried journaling before and it didn’t stick, you don’t need more willpower—you need a workflow that matches how trading actually happens. That’s what Session is for.