· 5 min read
How to Avoid Emotional Trading Decisions
You cannot decide not to feel anything. You can decide in advance, while you feel nothing.
Emotional decisions are not a character flaw, they are what happens when a decision is made under pressure without a rule. The fix is to move the decision earlier.
Write the exit before the entry
Both exits — the stop and the target — belong in writing before the position exists. A rule written calmly survives a moment that is not calm.
Size so that being wrong is boring
If a single loss would meaningfully change your account, the position is too large and every tick will feel like information. Correct sizing is the cheapest emotional control available.
Separate reviewing from reacting
Set times to review positions. Watching continuously produces the illusion that constant action is required.
Keep the record honest
Log losing trades with the same detail as winning ones. A record that only remembers the wins trains exactly the wrong instincts.
Expect to be wrong often
Even a sound process is wrong regularly. Planning for that in advance is what stops a normal loss from becoming an unplanned decision.
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