Have a Game Plan Before You Trade
Don’t even think about entering a trade until you’ve mapped out a clear plan.
That plan should explain exactly how you’ll manage the trade—whether it goes in your favor or completely against you.
Placing a trade is the easy part.
It’s how you exit the trade that determines whether you profit… or take a hit.
Be Like Tom, Not Jerry
Let’s say two traders, Tom and Jerry, enter the exact same trade.
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Tom walks away with a profit—or at worst, a small loss—because he had a plan. He knew where to take profits, when to cut losses, and how to react at each stage.
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Jerry, on the other hand, had no plan. So when the market moved sharply against him, he froze—and eventually blew up his account.
Same trade. Different outcomes.
The difference? Trade management.
Plan Ahead. Always.
It’s critical to decide how you’ll handle a trade before you open it.
In the heat of the moment, your emotions will take over if you haven’t already made the important decisions.
You need to walk into each trade already knowing:
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Where you’ll enter and exit
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What to do if price hits your stop loss
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How you’ll trail your stop or take partial profits
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What happens if the market behaves unexpectedly
Be Like Spock
You want to be like Spock from Star Trek—all logic, no emotion.
Decisions are made in advance. You’re not reacting; you’re executing a plan.
When you enter a trade, you should be able to instantly answer questions like:
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“What if the price spikes up?”
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“What if volatility increases?”
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“What if my trade goes sideways?”
No hesitation. No guessing. Just cool, calculated action.
Be Like Keanu
Picture this: You’re Keanu Reeves in an action movie.
You’re asked mid-trade, “Price just dropped 50 pips—what do you do?!”
Your answer? Instant. Precise. You already know.
Because you planned for every possible “what if” before you pulled the trigger.
TL;DR
✅ Have a trade management plan before you enter the trade.
✅ Think through every scenario—good and bad.
✅ Make all your decisions in advance.
✅ Act like Spock. React like Keanu.
You should never, ever, be sitting in a trade asking yourself:
“Uhh… now what?”
Because that means it’s already too late.