FREE GUIDE 01
Pause before the ping.
Check the signal.
Use this short checklist to turn an alert into a considered decision. A signal is an input — your plan is the edge you control.
The five-minute signal check
- Source: Do I know which strategy, timeframe and market the alert belongs to?
- Context: Is the broader trend supporting this direction, or is this fighting momentum?
- Levels: Are entry, stop loss, take profit and invalidation clearly defined?
- Risk: What is the maximum amount I can lose if the stop is hit?
- Confirmation: Do volume, structure or momentum add useful confirmation — or am I chasing?
- Timing: How old is the signal, and has price already moved too far from entry?
- Plan: What would make me skip the trade, reduce size or close early?
- Record: What did I decide, and what will I review later regardless of outcome?
One useful rule
If you cannot explain the setup, the invalidation and the maximum loss in one sentence each, you do not have to take the trade. Skipping is a decision too.