3 Simple Trading Drills to Build Discipline Without Risking Your P&L
How Trading Drills Help You Improve Faster Without the Emotional Toll
I’m a big fan of trading drills…
They’re focused. Deliberate. And when done right, they take the pressure off the P&L (essential for developing traders IMO) and put it where it belongs… skill development.
Drills help you uncouple your identity from your equity curve and help build controllable, repeatable habits that actually move the needle.
DRILLS TO TRY
Alright, so if you’re sold on the idea… what drills could you try?
Here are 3 simple but effective ones:
Drill #1: Screenshot & Justify
Before each trade, take a screenshot.
Write: “Why this setup? Why now?”
Benefit: Builds intention. Kills impulse.
Taking a few seconds to grab a screenshot and justifying the setup without the pressure of price still ticking away in your peripheral vision, begging you to pull the trigger, can help avoid those impulsive entries.
Drill # 2: Declined Entry Tracker
Log trades you didn’t take, and why.
Label them: “Looked good… but here’s why I didn’t pull the trigger.”
Benefit: Strengthens your filter.
Most traders don’t log the trades they skip. But avoiding rubbish setups? That’s silent alpha. These account for more P&L gain (by reducing losing trades) than we give credit for.
Drill # 3: Post-Trade Emotion Log
After every trade, rate your emotional state: Calm? Anxious? Frustrated?
Benefit: Identifies emotional patterns or specific setups that lead to sabotage.
No long-winded essays needed. Just one word.
Do it for a week, and patterns will appear.
“This setup always tilts me if it fails…” Ok, well, avoid it for now, Sherlock.
You can do this with a basic Google Sheet, or if you want it baked in, Trading Plan Pro has dropdowns built in for this exact drill.
Happy erm… drilling. 