How to review a trade that still stings the next morning
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 8:28 am
Reviewing right after a bad session is when the worst conclusions get written. Anger turns into "the strategy is broken" or "the broker is hunting stops". Waiting until the next day helps, but only if the review itself has a format; otherwise it becomes a replay of the pain.
A format that holds up, in order:
First, sort the charged trades from the rest. Anything that triggered a strong reaction gets its own pass, since those are the ones where the plan most likely broke.
Second, for each one write three lines: what the rules required, what was actually done, and the one point where those diverged. If nothing diverged, the trade was fine and the loss was just a loss. Do not touch the strategy because of it.
Third, give the emotion a label with a number, such as frustration 7 out of 10 at the moment of the second entry. Over weeks the labels show which situations produce the strongest reactions, and those become the places to put friction.
Keep the whole thing to ten or fifteen minutes. A longer review mostly rehearses the loss.
Does a fixed template change how you review, or does the emotional pull win anyway?
A format that holds up, in order:
First, sort the charged trades from the rest. Anything that triggered a strong reaction gets its own pass, since those are the ones where the plan most likely broke.
Second, for each one write three lines: what the rules required, what was actually done, and the one point where those diverged. If nothing diverged, the trade was fine and the loss was just a loss. Do not touch the strategy because of it.
Third, give the emotion a label with a number, such as frustration 7 out of 10 at the moment of the second entry. Over weeks the labels show which situations produce the strongest reactions, and those become the places to put friction.
Keep the whole thing to ten or fifteen minutes. A longer review mostly rehearses the loss.
Does a fixed template change how you review, or does the emotional pull win anyway?