Why consistency comes first
Even a great strategy produces uninterpretable results if applied differently every time. Only repeating the same approach builds the data needed to judge "does this actually work." Consistency is a systems problem, not a talent problem.
Three stages of a routine
- 1. Pre-trade routine — review the checklist, reconfirm today’s risk limit
- 2. In-trade routine — execute your predefined stop and target regardless of emotion
- 3. Post-trade routine — log it immediately (delaying it distorts the memory)
Why routines commonly fall apart
A routine with too many steps or too much complexity gets skipped naturally on a busy day. Building the smallest routine you can genuinely keep, then expanding it once it’s a habit, lowers the odds of it failing altogether.
Measure consistency itself
Mark a quick note in your journal each day for whether you followed the routine. A month later, your routine-adherence rate becomes a metric in its own right. If a bad month also had low routine adherence, the data tells you the problem was execution — not the strategy.
← Back to Guide Index