From everything I've read about trading keeping a trading diary is a fundamental necessity for those who truly wish to succeed in this game. Next week I start trading for real, with real money and a mentor. I'm concerned about how I should handle the trading diary aspect since I'll be daytrading and NYSE tape reading and thus in and out of stocks in seconds. I don't want to miss trades because I'm writing down stuff, but I don't want to forget later in the day "why" I made a certain trade because I made so many trades that day. Do I need a digital voice recorder to talk into after making a trade? Should I do what Elder recommends daytraders do, which is write down every fifth trade? I can type inhumanly fast; should I just type? Should I not worry about a trading journal during the day and just go over my trades at the end of the day and write down notes? Thanks for the time and help.