The 8 trading mistakes that cost the most money (and how to spot them in your journal)

Most avoidable losses don't come from a bad strategy, but from breaking it. The good news is these mistakes leave a trace in your journal: if you tag them, you can measure what they cost and remove them one by one.

The mistakes and their rule

• FOMO entries (chasing price without your setup) → if price has already left, there's no trade. Wait for the next pullback or let it go.
• Moving the stop to avoid taking the loss → you can tighten a stop, never widen it. A controlled −1R loss is part of the game; −3R isn't.
• Revenge trading after a loss → after 2 losses in a row, the day is over. Write it in your plan before you start.
• Overtrading (too many trades a day) → set a daily maximum, for example 3 trades.
• Risking too much → fixed risk (0.5–1%) calculated with your position size, never “this one is a sure thing”.
• Closing winners too early → if your plan says 2R, let it get there or trail the stop, but don't close out of fear.
• Trading news with no plan → check the calendar before opening your platform.
• Not logging or reviewing → without data you don't know which of these mistakes is yours.

How to spot them in your data

Tag every trade with the mistake you made (even if it worked out) and how you felt. After a month, filter by each mistake and see how many trades there are and how much they add up to in R. There are almost always one or two that explain most of what you lose.

Katanith does it for you: it tells you which mistake cost you the most R, which emotions come with your losses and whether you jump back in right after losing. See it in the demo, and for the mental side, read trading psychology.