Trade the plan. Journal the rest.
Straight answers for traders who want to last: prop-firm rules, position sizing, ICT concepts and the review habits that turn a journal into an edge.
Prop firmsHow to Pass a Futures Prop Firm Challenge in 2026A practical plan to pass a futures prop firm challenge: size from the drawdown, set a daily stop, respect consistency rules and review every week.8 min readRiskRisk Management for Prop Traders: The Complete GuideSize from the drawdown, not the account: risk per trade, contracts, a personal daily stop and trailing drawdown maths, with $50K examples.7 min readProp firmsWhen Does the Daily Loss Limit Reset? Times by Firm and Time ZoneTopstep and Apex reset at 5 PM CT (6 PM ET), not midnight. Reset times by firm and time zone, what counts and no-limit accounts.6 min readProp firmsProp Firm Payout Denied? The Rules Usually Checked FirstQualifying days, consistency, buffers, caps and conduct rules: the payout lines firms check first, with worked examples and a checklist.8 min readFutures basicsMicro vs Mini Futures: How to Choose Your Contract SizeMNQ vs NQ, MES vs ES, MCL and MGC side by side, and a $200-risk test to pick your contract size in a prop account.8 min readProp firmsCan You Trade News at a Prop Firm? Rules and a CPI-Day ChecklistWhether futures prop firms let you trade CPI, FOMC and jobs reports, how news windows work, the next release times and a 7-step checklist for news day.6 min readProp firmsSoft vs Hard Daily Loss Limit: What “No Hard Breach” MeansA soft daily loss limit ends your day, not your account; a hard breach ends the account. How each works, with a $50K example and the trap of two soft days.7 min readFutures basicsFutures Trading Hours: When Do ES, NQ and CL Open and Close?CME futures trade Sunday 5 PM to Friday 4 PM CT with a 4–5 PM CT break. ES, NQ, CL and gold hours in ET, London and Frankfurt, plus prop flat-by times.6 min readPsychologyFOMO Trading: How to Spot It in Your Own Journal (and Fix It)FOMO trading is entering late because you fear missing a move. How to find it in your journal, what a chased entry does to your R, and 6 rules that help.6 min readJournalingHow to Tag Trades in a Trading Journal (With Examples)A simple tag system for your trading journal: four groups, a short list of tags, one rule per group, and a worked 60-trade example of what the tags reveal.6 min readProp firmsWhat Happens If Your Prop Firm Shuts Down? A 6-Step ChecklistWhat happens to your accounts, fees, payouts and trade history when a futures prop firm closes, and six things to keep today so a closure costs you less.6 min readJournalingHow to Import Your Trades into TJExport steps for Tradovate, NinjaTrader, Rithmic, TopstepX, Quantower and MetaTrader 4/5 from each platform's own docs, then import them into TJ in a few clicks.7 min readProp firmsProp Firm Consistency Rule: The Formula and a Worked ExampleHow the prop firm consistency rule works: best day ÷ total profit, the profit you need after a big day, and Topstep, Tradeify and MFF limits.6 min readFutures basicsFutures Tick Values: ES, NQ, YM, RTY, CL and GoldTick size, tick value and point value for ES, NQ, YM, RTY, CL and gold futures, plus the Micro and E-nano versions, with worked examples from CME specs.6 min readFutures basicsE-nano Futures Explained: NES, NNQ, N2K and NDOWWhat CME's E-nano futures are, the NES, NNQ, N2K and NDOW tick values, how they compare with Micros and E-minis, and what fees do to a contract this small.6 min readJournalingHow to Journal Trades: A Daily Routine That Takes MinutesHow to journal trades and keep the habit: what to write before, during and after each session, a worked MNQ example in R, and a weekly review.5 min readProp firmsTrailing Drawdown vs Daily Loss Limit, ExplainedTrailing, end-of-day, static and daily drawdown in prop firms, with worked dollar examples from Topstep, Apex and FTMO rules checked in October 2026.7 min readJournalingTrading Journal Template: What to Track and WhyA trading journal template with the 18 fields worth tracking, spreadsheet formulas for risk and R, and a worked NQ example you can copy today.7 min readPsychologyRevenge Trading: How to Spot It and Stop ItRevenge trading explained: the warning signs, why it happens after a loss, five rules that interrupt it, and how a journal shows what it really costs.7 min readRiskR-Multiple Explained: Measure Every Trade in RiskWhat an R-multiple is, how to calculate it for NQ, ES and gold, and how to use expectancy in R to judge a strategy, with worked examples and a 10-trade table.8 min readRiskPosition Size for NQ, ES and Gold: The Exact MathHow to calculate position size for NQ, MNQ, ES, MES and XAUUSD from your dollar risk and stop, with point values, worked examples and a quick lookup table.7 min readICT & SMCICT Silver Bullet Strategy: Rules, Times, ExampleThe ICT Silver Bullet explained: the three one-hour windows, the sweep and FVG entry, a worked NQ example with sizing, and how to backtest it honestly.8 min readICT & SMCICT Killzones Explained: Times in New York and UTCICT killzone times in New York time and UTC, what each session is for, how daylight saving shifts them, and how to test whether killzones help your trading.7 min readJournalingHow to Review Your Trades Weekly: A 30-Minute RoutineA step-by-step weekly trading review: the numbers to check, how to review your best and worst trades, and how to turn findings into one rule for next week.7 min readBacktestingHow to Backtest a Trading Strategy ProperlyBacktest a trading strategy step by step: written rules, bar replay without peeking, costs, how many trades you need, and checking results before going live.8 min readICT & SMCFair Value Gap and Inverse FVG (IFVG) ExplainedWhat a fair value gap is, how to mark bullish and bearish FVGs, when an FVG inverts into an IFVG, and how to journal FVG entries to see which ones pay.7 min readToolsBest Trading Journal Apps in 2026: An Honest GuideTradeZella, Tradervue, Edgewonk, TradesViz, TraderSync and TJ compared on price, free plans, sync, prop tools and who each suits. Prices checked October 2026.7 min readProp firms · GuideProp Firm Trading Journal with Built-in RulesA trading journal for prop firm challenges: rules pre-filled for 9 programs, daily loss and drawdown warnings, and setup grading before you click.4 min readTools · GuideFutures Trading Journal for NQ, ES, MNQ and MESFutures trading journal with NQ, ES, MNQ and MES point values built in, Tradovate/NinjaTrader-style CSV import, prop rules and setup grading.4 min readTools · GuideForex Trading Journal for MT4/MT5 and GoldForex and gold trading journal: MT4/MT5 auto-sync and statement import, XAUUSD point values, sessions in your time zone and prop rules. Free plan.4 min readTools · GuideFree Trading Journal for Futures, Forex and GoldTJ has a free plan for good: unlimited trades, setup grading, prop-firm alerts, key stats and the P&L calendar.4 min readTools · GuideTJ vs TradeZella: Honest Trading Journal ComparisonTJ vs TradeZella on price, broker sync, prop-firm tools, replay and AI. Where each one is stronger, with prices checked in October 2026.6 min readTools · GuideTJ vs Tradervue: Which Trading Journal Fits You?TJ vs Tradervue compared on price, futures support, reports, broker sync and prop-firm tools. Honest notes on both, checked October 2026.5 min readTools · GuideTJ vs Edgewonk: Two Rule-First Trading JournalsTJ vs Edgewonk on price, checklists, discipline tools, imports and prop-firm limits. A fair comparison with Edgewonk details checked October 2026.5 min readTools · GuideTJ vs TradesViz: Trading Journal Comparison (2026)TJ vs TradesViz on price, free plans, auto-sync, analytics, AI and prop-firm tracking. Honest strengths of both, with prices checked October 2026.5 min read
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