Quote from sandygray66:
I'm sure that most of us who have traded futures for a while have experienced early in our trading careers what you describe. The only real solution to overcoming your psych hurdles is screen time.
Trading futures requires a combination of patience and persistance, combined with a good dose of self-discipline (since trading allows so much "freedom"). You gain patience through experience. And you only get experience by being persistant to overcome all the hurdles in front of you.
Now, beyond those maxims that we all know (but are hard to implement) here's a bit of practical advice. If you find that you are taking impulsive trades because you can't wait for the trades that follow your system to set up, open up two DOMs - one in sim and one for your real account. To satisfy your impatience, take your impulsive trades on the sim DOM, and only take the proper trades on your real account. Over time, compare the results of the two accounts. Seeing the results will help you train yourself to only take the trades that follow your rules, without losing money in your real account. Clicking on your sim DOM will satisfy your psych need to do something when you really shouldn't.
Hope that helps.
Sandy