Theme of the week:
Tried experimenting with new ideas → got punished.
Returned to core, time-tested strategies → stabilized and recovered.
This week was a textbook reminder of why consistency beats creativity in options trading.
🧪 Trades That Didn’t Work (Experiments)
❌ Trade 1
P/L: –$92 (–15.2%)
Early experiment that didn’t follow my standard structure. Small loss, but a warning sign.
❌ Trade 2
P/L: –$1,126 (–24%)
This was the most painful trade of the week.
Overconfidence + deviation from my core rules led to a large drawdown.
👉 Lesson: Even one oversized mistake can erase multiple winners.
❌ Trade 3
P/L: –$221 (–34.4%)
Another experiment that confirmed the same point:
When I drift from my proven playbook, outcomes degrade quickly.
🔄 Back to the Playbook (What Worked)
Once I stopped experimenting and went back to my core double-calendar setups, performance immediately improved.
✅ Trade 4
P/L: +$1,416 (+3.1%)
This was the turning point of the week.
Executed cleanly, sized correctly, and exited per rules.
⚖️ Trade 5
P/L: –$13 (–1.6%)
Effectively breakeven.
More importantly: capital preserved.
✅ Trade 6
P/L: +$925 (+2.0%)
Textbook execution.
Good structure, good timing, controlled risk.
✅ Trade 7
P/L: +$1,338 (+2.9%)
Strong finish to the week.
Confidence restored by sticking to what works.
📈 Weekly Summary
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Trades | 7 |
| Winners | 3 |
| Losers | 3 |
| Flat | 1 |
| Best Trade | +$1,416 |
| Worst Trade | –$1,126 |
| Key Insight | Stop experimenting with real money |
🧠 Key Takeaways
- Innovation ≠ Edge
New ideas feel exciting, but untested strategies are expensive teachers. - My edge is already known
The double-calendar framework continues to work when I respect sizing, timing, and exits. - Risk control > win rate
The biggest loss came from deviation, not bad luck. - Consistency is the real alpha
Once I returned to discipline, the equity curve stabilized immediately.
🎯 Plan Going Forward
- ❌ No more “trying things out” with real capital
- ✅ Stick to proven structures
- ✅ Maintain strict position sizing
- ✅ Trust the law of large numbers
Week 23 reinforced a simple truth:
The hardest part of trading isn’t finding a strategy — it’s having the discipline to keep running it.