Good morning, traders…
In a recent live session, I asked: “How many of you are struggling to follow your rules in 2025?”
Nearly everyone said yes.
I heard things like:
“I’m not confident in my rules.”
“My rules aren’t clear enough.”
“I don’t even know where to focus.”
“FOMO tempts me to take bad trades.”
“Fatigue affects my decision-making.”
Why is it so tough to follow our pre-determined trading rules?
How can we know a rule is crucial and still fail to follow it when money is on the line?
It happens to the best of us, but there are a few simple ways to remember your rules when they truly matter.
Let me show you how to stop forgetting your rules at the most important moments…
No Confidence? Paper Trade Until You Build Some.
If you don’t trust your own rules, you won’t stick to them (especially under pressure). The only way to build confidence is through review, refinement, and repetition.
Run those setups in a simulated environment until the outcome becomes predictable and you feel calm placing the trade.
It’s like learning to play an instrument. Repetition leads to muscle memory until the correct technique becomes second nature.
Confidence doesn’t come from watching someone else succeed. It comes from watching yourself do the right thing over and over again.
Rules Unclear? Clarify Them.
Vague rules are almost the same as having no rules at all. You can’t rely on a gut feeling when money’s on the line.
A rule like “I’ll enter if the price looks strong” isn’t going to hold up in real time.
Instead, define your precise entry criteria, stop loss, and profit target.
Spell them out so there’s no gray area. A good rule doesn’t “sort of” tell you what to do … it tells you exactly what to do.
Forget in the Moment? Use Reminders.
It’s easy to get tunnel vision during a trade. That’s why your system should include prompts that pull you back into your rules.
Add annotations to your charts. Use checklists. Set alerts that trigger when price reaches key levels.
I’ve even recorded my own voice to remind me what I’m supposed to do. The more you build in visual and audible support, the harder it becomes to break your own rules.
Feel Disorganized? Start with One Trade.
Most traders lose focus because they’re juggling too much at once. Five tickers. Ten open tabs. A watchlist that feels more like a wishlist.
Cut the noise. Pick one stock, one setup, and one clear plan. Track that trade start to finish.
Simplicity leads to success.
You’ll be shocked how much clarity returns when you shrink your field of view and follow through on a trade the way you planned it.
Getting Emotional? Size Down.
Your emotions rear their ugly head when too much money is on the line.
Fix this immediately by trading a smaller size. Enough that it still matters, but not so much that your heart starts racing.
Trade one contract. Did you make money? Prove that your pattern recognition is firing on all cylinders.
Then, you can resume your normal size.
Don’t Know What You’re Looking For? Take a Step Back.
A winning trading process has specificity. That means you know what you’re looking for, you know when to enter, and you know when you’re wrong.
Not complicated, but specific.
Stop. Take a week. Build a plan. Decide what kind of trader you are and what setups belong to you. Then write those rules down.
Feeling FOMO? Give Yourself Consequences.
Missing a big trade hurts, but chasing it into an avoidable loss hurts even more.
If you find yourself breaking your plan to “catch” something you weren’t prepared for, put accountability in place.
Create a consequence. That might mean no more trades that day, no social media, or no screens. The goal isn’t punishment, it’s correction.
Small penalties now can prevent massive damage later.
H.A.L.T? Sit it Out.
There’s no bonus for trading exhausted. Just like a pro athlete knows when not to suit up, a trader has to know when they’re not mentally sharp.
If you’re hungry, angry, lazy, or tired … don’t trade. That’s a “step away” moment.
You’ll make decisions you wouldn’t make at full capacity, and you’ll pay for them. One of the most important rules of trading is knowing when not to trade.
You designed your rules for a reason. Now follow them.
Happy trading,
Ben Sturgill
P.S. You don’t need a fancy setup.
You don’t need a bunch of “algos” and “indicators.”
You don’t need to spend all day watching charts.
And you don’t need a lot of money.
All you need is a working phone, internet connection, and a trading account…
And you could begin targeting gains up to 20%… 39%… 100%… 148%… 200%… and even 300%…*
*Past performance does not indicate future results
SPY chart: 10-day, 5-minute candle — courtesy of TC2000
*Past performance does not indicate future results
