I read the comment below from a daily review from a trader with whom I work. I asked Dr. Menaker, trading psychologist, for his input.

I have developed a pattern of being too aggressive (each week, a different kind of way, after I learned my lesson a prior week) on Monday’s. Today did not have to be aggravating. I could’ve sat on early gains and stalked positions. Instead I over-extended myself and could not find a flow in the market the entire day.

Dr. Menaker

It’s good that this trader recognizes their pattern of becoming too aggressive on Mondays. In order to overcome this problem, the next step this trader needs to take is to understand why this pattern occurs; specifically, what triggers the pattern to begin. Is it something to do with how the prior week ended? Is it something else? Something about the market, or their P&L, or possibly something outside of trading has triggered their “over-aggressive” response. Once the trigger is identified, this trader needs to be on the look-out for the trigger next time. They need to anticipate its arrival and have a game plan for what to do about it.

The ability to anticipate the problem before it appears not only increases your awareness; it puts you closer to being able to control your actions. Part of the reason is that if you can predict how you’re going to feel, or predict your likely response to a situation before it happens, you have increased your personal efficacy as a trader.

Once the “aggressive trading” begins, its like a snowball running downhill, gaining energy and it gets harder to stop. After this trader gets “aggressive” and does some damage, it’s not surprising that they can’t find the flow of the market. As I tweeted today, half of the troubles in trading can be traced to saying yes too quickly & not saying no soon enough.

No relevant positions