Which Notebook Template Should You Use?

EdgeFlo's Notebook includes templates across four categories: Playbook, Mindset, Productivity, and Performance Review. This article helps you choose the right template for what you are trying to do.

Notebook templates are structured starting points built around the most common things traders need to document. Instead of staring at a blank page, you open a template, click Use template, and start filling it in.

Choosing the right template comes down to what you are trying to work through at that moment. Here is how to decide.

Template categories at a glance

Category	Best for
Playbook	Documenting a trading strategy, setup rules, or system logic
Mindset	Pre-session mental preparation, processing emotions, building discipline habits
Productivity	Session planning, focus routines, time management as a trader
Performance Review	Weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual self-assessment of what worked and what to improve

Playbook templates

Use a Playbook template to document trading strategies, including setup criteria, valid trades, entry and exit logic, or as a reference for specific pairs or sessions.

Playbook templates are more flexible than Edge (the Trade Plan Builder). Use Edge for active, structured plans linked to trading data, and Playbook notes for detailed strategy writing, backtesting, or research not yet ready for an active plan.

Tip: Start with a Playbook note to develop your strategy. Once tested and clear, formalize it in Edge.

Trade Plan:Document your complete trading plan including HTF bias, LTF execution rules, and strategy structure.
Entry Model:Define and document specific entry criteria, setup diagrams, and entry confirmation checklist.

Mindset templates

Use a Mindset template when you need to work on the psychological side of your trading. This category covers pre-session mental preparation, emotional check-ins, processing a difficult trading day, or working through patterns like revenge trading or overtrading.

Mindset notes are personal. There is no right or wrong way to use them. The value is in the consistency of practice. Writing through your mental state before and after sessions builds self-awareness over time.

Tip: If you find yourself making the same emotional mistakes repeatedly, use a Mindset template to document exactly what happened, how you felt, and what you would do differently. Reviewing those notes before sessions can interrupt the pattern.

Macro Trade Journal Entry: Reflect on individual trades including date, setup used, and news catalyst analysis.
Pre-Market Mental Prep:Check your mental readiness before the session using sleep score and energy level ratings.
Post-Trade Reflection: Process each trade after closing including pair, direction, and strategy used.
Emotional Mapping Journal: Identify emotional triggers that led you to take trades and analyze thought patterns before entry.

Productivity templates

Use Productivity templates to organize your trading time, including session routines, preparation, analysis schedules, and focus habits.

Ideal for traders seeking consistent time management or a structured pre-session workflow without formal pre-market routines.

Habit Tracker: Track daily habits like meditation, workout, clean eating, study, trading, and chart analysis with checkboxes.
Daily Planner: Schedule your trading day in 30-minute time blocks with activities and time slots.
Goal Tracker: Set and track your top 3 monthly goals with reasons why each goal matters.
Daily Routine Checklist: Structure your morning routine and pre-market routine with specific tasks to complete before trading.

Performance Review templates

Use Performance Review templates to analyze your trading results over a week, month, quarter, or year, identify execution patterns, and set improvement goals.

Unlike daily journals that track individual trades, these reviews assess trends across many trades. Use them weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually depending on your review cadence.

Tip: Set a weekly reminder to use Performance Review templates. Regular reviews help traders improve faster than only reviewing after losses.

Annual Review: Comprehensive year-end analysis including summary statistics, wins, losses, breakeven trades, and profit factor.
Weekly Review: Analyze the past week's performance with wins, losses, breakeven, total trades, win rate, and net R.
Monthly Review: Monthly performance assessment covering summary statistics, win rate percentage, net P/L, and average win R.
Quarterly Review: Quarter-by-quarter performance breakdown (Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4) with wins, losses, net P/L, and average win R.

When you are not sure which to use

If you are unsure which category fits, ask yourself one question: what problem am I trying to solve right now?

If the answer is about your strategy or setups, choose Playbook.
If the answer is about how you are feeling or a mental habit, choose Mindset.
If the answer is about how you structure your time or sessions, choose Productivity.
If the answer is about looking back and learning from a period of trading, choose Performance Review.

You can also start with a blank note and switch to a template structure later by creating a new note from a template and copying your content across.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use more than one template for the same note?

Each note is created from a single template. If you want to combine structures from two templates, use one as your starting point and manually copy relevant sections from the other. Both templates remain available in the library for future use.

What is the difference between a Playbook note and a plan in Edge?

An Edge plan is structured, tied to your trade data, and actively referenced during trading. A Playbook note in Notebook is more flexible and is best for exploratory strategy writing, research, or setups you are still developing. When a strategy is ready to trade, formalize it in Edge.

Can I edit the content of a template permanently?

When you click Use template, a copy is created for you to edit. The original template is not changed. You can edit your copy as much as you like without affecting the base template.