Notion trading journal template: a free download, working formulas and a setup guide for Indian F&O traders

What a Notion trading journal is, and what it is not

Notion is a general note-taking and database app. A Notion trading journal is simply a Notion database where each row is one trade and each column (Notion calls them properties) holds one detail about it. Because a row in Notion is also a page, you can open any trade and write a full note under it, paste a chart screenshot, or link it to that week's review. That mix of a spreadsheet and a notebook is why traders like it.

It helps to be clear about the limits before you spend an evening setting it up:

• Everything is typed by hand. Notion does not connect to Zerodha, Upstox, Angel One or any other broker. Every trade, price and charge is entered by you.
• Trading maths is yours to build. Notion has no idea what a lot, a strike or a stop loss is. Quantity, profit and loss and risk only exist if you write formulas for them, and a typo in a formula quietly gives wrong numbers.
• Statistics are basic. Notion can sum or average a column at the bottom of a table and has a chart view, but things like win rate by setup, drawdown or an equity curve take extra work or are not practical.
• Formulas work row by row. A formula sees the trade it sits on. Anything that compares one trade with earlier trades, such as a running balance or a losing streak, is hard to do inside one database.

None of this makes Notion a bad choice. If you place a few trades a week and care most about writing down why you took them, a Notion journal can be all you need. If you want automatic charts and stats, a dedicated journal does that work for you. We compare the options further down.

Columns in the free Notion trading journal template

Each CSV column becomes a Notion property. Pick the property type shown when you import or straight after.

Column	Notion property type	What to type
Trade	Title	A short name, e.g. NIFTY 25000 CE
Date	Date	Trade date
Instrument	Select	NIFTY, BANKNIFTY, FINNIFTY, a stock name
Segment	Select	Index options, Index futures, Stock options, Stock futures, Equity
Expiry	Date	Contract expiry date
Strike	Number	Strike price; leave empty for futures and shares
Type	Select	CE, PE, FUT or EQ
Side	Select	Long (you bought) or Short (you sold first)
Lots	Number	Number of lots traded
Lot size	Number	Units per lot, typed from your contract note
Entry / Exit / Stop loss	Number	Prices per unit (option premium or futures price)
Charges	Number	Brokerage plus taxes and fees for the round trip, in ₹
Net P&L	Formula	Calculated; do not type
R multiple	Formula	Calculated; do not type
Setup	Select	Your named setup, e.g. Opening range breakout
Emotion	Select	Calm, Fearful, Greedy, Impatient, Revenge
Mistake	Select	None, Exited late, Moved stop, Oversized, Entered before signal
Followed plan	Checkbox	Ticked if you stuck to your written plan
Notes	Text	Why you entered, what you saw, what you would change

Charges are typed by you from the contract note. They differ by broker and change when taxes change, so the template does not guess them.

Source: [1]

Download the free Notion trading journal template

Download the Notion trading journal template (CSV, free)

The file has the 21 columns above and three made-up example rows so you can see how a filled journal looks: a Nifty call bought for a winning trade, a Bank Nifty put sold for a loss, and a Nifty futures trade where the stop was too far away. The prices, strikes and lot sizes in those rows are invented for illustration. They are not current exchange lot sizes and not trade ideas. Exchanges revise lot sizes from time to time, which is why the template asks you to type the lot size every time instead of filling it in for you. Delete the three example rows once you have checked your formulas.

Dates in the file are written month first (10/05/2026 means 5 October 2026), because that is the date format Notion reads on import. Keep that in mind if you add rows to the CSV before importing.

How to import the CSV into Notion

1. 1

   Open the import screen

   In Notion, go to Settings → Import → CSV. You can also type /csv on any page.

2. 2

   Upload the file

   Pick notion-trading-journal-template.csv. It is a few kilobytes, far under Notion's per-file limit (5 MB on the Free plan, 50 MB on paid plans).

3. 3

   Choose a new database

   Choose to create a new database rather than import into an existing one, and pick the page it should live on, such as a page called Trading.

4. 4

   Map each column

   Notion asks which property type each column should become. Use the table above. If a column will not map cleanly, map it as text for now and change the type after import.

5. 5

   Check the rows

   You should see three example trades. Open one to confirm the note came through, then move on to formulas.

Fix property types after the import

Open the database settings (the slider icon), choose Edit properties, and check each one against the column table. Three things commonly need fixing:

• Negative numbers and rupee amounts. Notion's import guide warns that negatives, currency symbols and percentages may land as text. The template keeps numbers plain (no ₹ sign, no commas) to avoid this. If any number column still shows as text, switch it to Number.
• Select columns. Values with commas inside them may not show up when mapped to a select, so keep setup and mistake names short and comma-free.
• Checkbox. The Followed plan column holds Yes or No. If the boxes do not tick themselves after you set the type to Checkbox, tick them by hand for the example rows; new trades will be ticked as you add them.

Once the types are right, set the Number format for P&L and Charges to rupee if you like. That only changes how the number looks, not the maths.

If you already have a Notion database for trades, you do not need to start again. Open it, click the ••• menu at the top and choose Merge with CSV. Notion adds the rows from the file but does not update rows you already have, so check for duplicates afterwards.

Add formulas for quantity, net P&L and R multiple

Notion's current formula editor (often called Formulas 2.0) accepts multi-line formulas, so you can lay these out the way they are shown. To add one: database settings → Edit properties → New property → Formula, name it, then Edit formula and paste. For Net P&L and R multiple, change the existing imported columns to the Formula type and paste the formula in; the imported numbers are replaced by calculated ones.

Quantity (new property). Total units across all lots:

prop("Lots") * prop("Lot size")

Net P&L. Points gained or lost, times quantity, minus charges. For a long trade you make money when the exit is above the entry; for a short trade, when the exit is below it:

round(
  if(prop("Side") == "Long",
     prop("Exit") - prop("Entry"),
     prop("Entry") - prop("Exit"))
  * prop("Lots") * prop("Lot size")
  - prop("Charges"),
2)

R multiple. Net P&L divided by the money you risked between entry and stop. A result of 1 means you made what you risked; -1 means you lost it. If there is no stop loss, the formula shows 0 so it does not divide by zero:

if(empty(prop("Stop loss")), 0,
  round(
    prop("Net P&L") /
    (abs(prop("Entry") - prop("Stop loss")) * prop("Lots") * prop("Lot size")),
  2)
)

Week (new property, optional). Puts each trade into a week bucket for your reviews:

formatDate(prop("Date"), "YYYY") + " week " + format(week(prop("Date")))

Two cautions. First, the Side value must be spelt exactly Long or Short, because the formula checks the text; a trade marked "Buy" would be treated as short. Second, an open trade with no exit price yet will show a large meaningless P&L, so fill Exit only when the trade is closed and filter open trades out of your totals.

Checking the formulas on example row 1

Run the numbers by hand once. If Notion shows the same results, your formulas are right.

Side

Long (bought 2 lots of a Nifty call)

Quantity65 is the made-up lot size in the example row

2 × 65 = 130 units

Points gained

150 − 120 = 30

Gross P&L

30 × 130 = ₹3,900

Chargestyped from the contract note

₹95

Riskentry minus stop, times quantity

(120 − 100) × 130 = ₹2,600

R multiple

3,805 ÷ 2,600 = 1.46

Net P&L

₹3,805

Source: [2]

Build views that make Notion work like a journal

1. 1

   Calendar view by trade date

   Click + next to the database name, choose Calendar and set it to use the Date property. Each trade shows on its day, which makes overtrading days obvious at a glance.

2. 2

   Board view grouped by setup

   Add a Board view and group it by Setup. Each setup becomes a column of cards. Turn on the sum of Net P&L at the bottom of each group to see which setups pay and which do not.

3. 3

   Table view for this month

   Add a Table view, then a filter on Date for the current month. Add a second filter, Followed plan is unchecked, to see only the trades where you broke your rules.

4. 4

   Mistakes board

   Duplicate the board and group it by Mistake instead. The biggest pile is usually the habit costing you the most.

5. 5

   Optional chart view

   Notion also has a Chart view. A bar chart of Net P&L grouped by Setup or Emotion is a quick picture, though it is not a full equity curve.

Weekly review template page

• Set it up once

  Create a second database called Weekly reviews. Click the arrow next to New → + New template, name it Weekly review, and add the headings below. In the template's ••• menu, set Repeat to weekly (for example every Saturday morning) so a fresh review page appears on its own.

• Numbers for the week

  Total net P&L, number of trades, number of trades where Followed plan is unchecked, and the biggest single loss in rupees.

• Best trade and why

  Link the trade page and write one line on what you did right.

• Worst trade and why

  Link it, name the mistake from your Mistake list, and say what you will do differently.

• Emotion check

  Which emotion showed up most on losing trades this week?

• One rule for next week

  Just one, such as no trades in the first 15 minutes or a maximum of two trades on expiry day.

Notion vs Excel vs a trading journal app

How the three common ways to keep a trading journal compare for an Indian F&O trader who logs trades by hand.

What you get	Notion template	Excel or Google Sheets	OneTradeJournal app
How trades get in	Typed by hand	Typed by hand	Typed by hand (no broker sync, on purpose)
P&L and R maths	Your own formulas, row by row	Your own formulas, can look across rows	Built in, net of charges
Stats like win rate by setup	Group sums only; more needs workarounds	Possible with pivot tables	Built in
Equity curve and P&L calendar	Calendar of trades; no real equity curve	You build the chart	Built in
Notes and screenshots per trade	Strong: every trade is a page	Awkward in cells	Notes, emotions, mistakes and screenshots per trade
Cost to start	Notion's free plan is enough for a journal	Free with Google Sheets	Free plan: one trade a day, not a trial
Getting data out	Export to CSV	It is already a file	Export to CSV anytime

Excel and Google Sheets rows describe a self-built sheet, not a specific template. Notion plan details change; check Notion's pricing page before relying on them.

Sources: [1], [5], [3], [7]

When to move from Notion to a trading journal app

Many traders start in Notion or a spreadsheet and that is a sensible place to start. It is worth looking at a dedicated trading journal app when one of these starts happening:

• You stop logging. If filling ten properties after a losing day feels like a chore and you skip it, a faster entry screen matters more than flexibility.
• You want answers, not rows. Questions like "what is my win rate on expiry days?" or "how much did revenge trades cost me this month?" are slow to answer in Notion.
• Your formulas drift. Every time you add a column or a new kind of trade, the maths needs checking again.
• You want to see the account, not just trades. Running balance, drawdown and an equity curve need calculations across rows that Notion formulas do not do well.

If you prefer a spreadsheet instead, our trading journal template for India is built for Excel and Google Sheets. If you like writing by hand, see the printable trading journal PDF. For a wider look at no-cost options, read the free trading journal guide. Whichever you choose, the journal that works is the one you actually fill in after every trade.

Notion trading journal questions people ask

Is there a free Notion trading journal template?+

Yes. The CSV on this page is free and needs no sign-up. Import it with Settings → Import → CSV in Notion and it becomes a database with 21 columns and three example trades you can delete.

How do I make a trading journal in Notion?+

Create a database with one row per trade, set property types (date, select, number, checkbox), add formulas for quantity, net P&L and R multiple, then add calendar and board views. Importing the template above does the first two steps for you.

Notion trading journal vs Excel: which is better?+

Neither is better for everyone. Notion is stronger for notes and screenshots because every trade is its own page. Excel or Google Sheets is stronger for maths across many trades, such as running balance and pivot tables. Both are typed by hand.

Can Notion calculate P&L for options trades?+

Yes, with a formula. Multiply the points gained by lots and lot size, flip the sign for short trades, and subtract charges. The exact Notion formula is given above. You still type entry, exit, lot size and charges yourself.

Can I import my Zerodha or other broker trades into Notion?+

Notion can merge a CSV file into a database, so a broker trade export can be imported if you first rearrange its columns to match. It is not a live connection: nothing updates by itself, and broker exports usually list each buy and sell separately rather than one row per trade.

Does the template work on the Notion mobile app?+

Once imported, the database and its views open in Notion's mobile app like any other page. Importing the CSV itself is easiest on a computer.

Why does my Net P&L formula show a huge number?+

Usually the trade is still open and Exit is empty, so Notion treats the exit as zero, or Side is spelt differently from Long or Short. Fill Exit when the trade closes and use exactly Long or Short.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Each was checked on the date shown.

1. [1]Notion Help: Import data into Notion (CSV import, merge with CSV, size limits) · checked 31 Oct 2026
2. [2]Notion Help: Formula syntax and functions · checked 31 Oct 2026
3. [3]Notion Help: Formulas (adding a formula property) · checked 31 Oct 2026
4. [4]Notion Help: New formulas, what has changed · checked 31 Oct 2026
5. [5]Notion Help: Views, filters, sorts and groups · checked 31 Oct 2026
6. [6]Notion Help: Database templates (including repeating templates) · checked 31 Oct 2026
7. [7]OneTradeJournal homepage: manual logging, free plan, CSV export · checked 31 Oct 2026