Decision fatigue: when trade number 30 is not the same as trade number 3

[Amanhasnoname]

Every decision draws on a limited mental resource. Scalpers make hundreds of small ones, and quality drops as the session goes on.

Evidence from research on decision-making, including studies of professionals making repeated judgments, shows a tendency toward defaults and shortcuts as fatigue builds. In trading, that looks like skipping checks, accepting weaker setups, or sticking with a bad trade longer than planned.

Looking at results by trade number within a session often reveals the effect. Win rates or average results in the first ten trades differ from those after the thirtieth.

If that's the case, the answer is simple: limit the number of trades per session, or split the day into two shorter sessions with a real break in between.

Reducing the number of choices also helps. A checklist or fixed rules for entry and exit take decisions off the table.

Quality beats quantity. Fewer, cleaner trades may earn more than a marathon of sloppy ones.

Some traders deal with it by deciding the maximum number of entries before the session starts and writing it down. When the counter hits the limit, the platform is closed, and nothing that happens afterwards gets a vote.

What does your results curve look like by trade number within the day?