One month in. It feels like both an eternity and a blink. The markets have a way of compressing and stretching time depending on whether you’re in a trade or watching from the sidelines. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
What Worked
Having a trading plan. Before I started, I wrote down my rules: which pairs to trade, what timeframes to use, what setups to look for, and how much to risk per trade. Having this document to reference kept me grounded when emotions wanted to take over.
Journaling everything. Every trade, every observation, every mistake — all documented. Looking back at my journal entries, I can already see patterns in my behavior. I tend to overtrade on Mondays (probably excitement from the weekend) and make my best decisions mid-week when I’m calmer.
Starting small. I began with minimal position sizes. The goal wasn’t to make money — it was to learn the mechanics and build habits. This took a lot of pressure off and allowed me to focus on process over outcomes.
What Didn’t Work
Overanalyzing. I spent too many hours staring at charts, looking for the “perfect” entry. Analysis paralysis is real. Sometimes good enough is good enough — waiting for perfection means missing valid opportunities.
Trading during news events. Twice I got caught in volatile moves around economic data releases. The spreads widened, the price spiked, and my stop losses got hit in ways I didn’t expect. Lesson learned: respect the calendar.
Ignoring my own rules. There were a couple of trades where I moved my stop loss further away because I “felt” the market would come back. It didn’t. This was my most expensive lesson — your plan exists for a reason.
Key Takeaways
- Risk management is everything. It’s not glamorous, but protecting your capital is the foundation of longevity in trading.
- Consistency beats intensity. Small, disciplined actions every day compound over time. Big, emotional swings destroy accounts.
- The market doesn’t care about your opinion. Being right isn’t the goal — managing risk is.
- Psychology is 80% of the game. Technical analysis is the easy part. Controlling your emotions, staying patient, and following your rules under pressure — that’s where the real challenge is.
Looking Ahead
Month two is about refinement. I want to narrow my focus to fewer setups, improve my entry timing, and continue building the journaling habit. The foundation is laid — now it’s time to build on it.