"Plan the trade, trade the plan" — repeated everywhere, practised almost nowhere, because most trading plans are vague wish-lists ("trade with the trend, manage risk") that no one could follow or violate. A working plan is different: it is a set of checkable statements a stranger could audit.
The six sections
- Market & schedule: exactly what you trade and when — e.g. "Gold and EUR/USD, 6–10 PM PKT, Mon–Thu."
- Setup definition: the confluences that must ALL be present, written as yes/no checks. If it can't be checked, it can't be a rule.
- Risk: fixed % per trade, max daily loss, max open risk, weekly circuit-breaker.
- Execution: entry type (limit at zone / trigger confirmation), stop placement logic, TP structure (our TP1/TP2 partials, for instance).
- Review: journal per trade, weekly 20-minute audit, monthly expectancy check.
- Forbidden list: your personal leaks, named — "no trades within 15 min of red-flag news; no re-entry same pair after a loss; no size changes intraday."
Why specificity is the whole game
A vague plan lets every emotional impulse claim compliance. A checkable plan converts discipline from willpower (exhaustible) into procedure (boring, repeatable). Boring is the goal: the less deciding you do at market speed, the more your edge survives contact with adrenaline.
Make it a living document
Version-date it. Change rules only during weekend reviews with 30+ trades of journal evidence — never mid-session, never after one loss. Your plan is the constitution; the trades are just laws passed under it.
Education only — not financial advice. Trading carries risk of loss; never trade money you cannot afford to lose.
