A Paper Regime Log That Survives Screen Fatigue
Each trading day gets one row: date, primary regime label (compressed, expanding, trending, chaotic), size multiplier applied, and one sentence on what would invalidate the label tomorrow.
The invalidation box is the most important. Without it, regime labels become decorative. Writing 'two consecutive closes inside prior week's range' forces a concrete exit from the current classification.
We use A5 notebooks with faint grid lines—matching the workbook aesthetic—so annotations align with printed chart panels. Pencil only during sessions; ink after the close when revisiting mistakes.
Students often ask whether a spreadsheet replaces the notebook. It can, but only if you disable formulas on the regime column. Automated classification removes the deliberation the exercise is meant to train.
Photograph your weekly log page on Friday and store it in a dated folder. Monthly review then compares what you thought the regime was against what price actually did, without scrolling through platform history.