Every week after Wednesday, the same thought crosses my mind:
“What if I just place one more trade?”
It’s Thursday morning. The automation has already done its job earlier in the week — the 2/7 and 9/23 double calendars are closed — and my system says no new trades until Monday.
But my brain? It doesn’t like stillness.
This has been one of the hardest psychological hurdles in my 1000-day trading challenge: resisting the urge to trade when there’s no valid setup.
💭 The Psychological Pattern
When positions close early in the week, it creates what behavioral economists call a “completion bias.”
The mind equates activity with progress, and when there’s nothing to do, it feels like something’s wrong.
Research from Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler (Behavioral Economics Nobel laureates) shows that traders often suffer from a “need for action” bias — we mistake movement for momentum.
This is why even disciplined traders feel uncomfortable when idle.
In trading, boredom often feels like danger — but it’s actually safety disguised as stillness.
📊 My Own Data Proves It
Looking back through my journal:
| Period | Days with Unplanned Trades (Thu–Fri) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–5 | 4 of 5 weeks | Multiple forced entries; emotional reactivity after wins/losses. |
| Weeks 6–10 | 3 of 5 weeks | Still placing “bonus” 0DTE trades; small gains and occasional losses. |
| Weeks 11–15 | 1 of 5 weeks | Noticeable decline — trades now limited to automation only. |
This pattern tells a clear story:
the more consistent my journaling became, the fewer impulsive Thursday/Friday trades I placed.
By writing down my trades — including why I took them and how I felt — I made my impulses visible.
And once you see a habit in writing, it loses power over you.
🧘 Why It’s Still Hard
Even with 100+ trading days logged, that urge to click “Buy/Sell” hasn’t vanished.
It just whispers instead of shouting.
The brain releases dopamine not only when we win, but also in anticipation of trading.
This creates a mini feedback loop:
- Win → Reward
- No Trade → Withdrawal
That’s why journaling, mindfulness, and having strict automation boundaries are vital — they act as dopamine dampers.
🛠️ What’s Helping Me
- Pre-commitment contracts — Writing “no discretionary trades after Wednesday” in my weekly notes.
- Journaling emotion first, trade second — noting why I want to trade before acting.
- Automated structure — my 2/7 and 9/23 DC rules create a clear rhythm.
- End-of-week reviews — turning temptation into reflection by writing posts like this instead of placing trades.
Journaling transforms impulsive energy into insight. Every paragraph I write replaces one trade I didn’t need to take.
📉 The Evolution So Far
Earlier Thursdays and Fridays often had 0DTE debit spreads or experimental setups — many of which ended red.
But as the weeks went by, the number of these “extra” trades dropped sharply.
Now, instead of opening random positions, I channel that energy into documentation, analysis, and backtesting.
The same curiosity that once fueled overtrading now fuels understanding.
💬 Final Reflection
Maybe this struggle never fully disappears — maybe it just evolves.
But that’s okay.
The goal isn’t to become emotionless.
It’s to stay aware enough that emotion no longer dictates behavior.
Each Thursday I don’t trade, I win a different kind of trade — one against my own impulses.
“Discipline isn’t the absence of emotion; it’s the mastery of reaction.”