18 June 2026 · Academy notes

What to write in the margin before Monday's open

An open notebook on smoked glass beside a copper lamp in a dark study

The margin is not a diary. It is three short notes beside the levels: the source of the price, the last test, and the condition that retires it.

Source

Beside each level, write where it came from. 'Prior week high', 'body of the swing on 4 May', or 'cluster of closes, not the wick'. If you cannot name the source, the line is probably a number you liked. Those come off the page during evening one.

Last test

Write the date price last returned to that area, and whether the return closed back in your favour or sat there. A support that has not been visited in months can still be on the map, but the margin should say so. Untested is a fact, not an insult.

The retire condition

This is the sentence you do not want to improvise later. For support it is often a daily close beneath the body zone. For resistance it is a daily close above it. Some students add a second condition, such as a failed return on the following session. One condition is enough if you will actually obey it.

Leave a blank line under the notes. Monday morning you only tick whether the open is inside the map or already outside it. You do not redraw the map because the open felt busy.

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