The Check-In Procedure: Monitoring Your Psychological State During Positions

[LukeArdenCo]

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Hey TTW community,


I wanted to share a practice that's been game-changing for my position management - something I call "The Check-In Procedure." How many of you have been in trades where you gradually slipped into bad psychological patterns without even realizing it until it was too late?

The Problem We All Face​

Most of us are obsessive about monitoring price action, volume, and technical indicators when we're in positions. But how many of us systematically monitor our own psychological condition? I used to think I'd naturally notice if my mental state was deteriorating, but the reality is we're terrible at detecting gradual changes in our own psychology.


I'd find myself:

• Checking positions obsessively
• Losing sleep over trades
• Becoming increasingly biased toward confirming information
• Moving stops or sizing up without proper analysis

Sound familiar?

The Solution: Structured Psychological Check-Ins​

The practice is simple but powerful: Set predetermined times during position management to quickly assess your psychological condition using a standardized protocol.


Here's how I implement it:


1. Set Regular Check-In Times

• Day trades: Every 30-45 minutes
• Swing trades: Twice daily (mid-morning and mid-afternoon)
• Longer positions: Once daily at a consistent time

2. Quick 5-Dimension Assessment (takes less than 60 seconds)Rate each on a 1-5 scale where 3 is your optimal range:

• Emotional state (calm, anxious, excited, frustrated)
• Physical condition (tense, relaxed, energized, fatigued)
• Attention quality (focused, scattered, obsessive, distracted)
• Confidence level (appropriate, overconfident, underconfident)
• Decision clarity (clear, confused, conflicted)

3. Predetermined Response Actions

• Ratings mostly 2-4: Continue current approach
• Ratings consistently outside this range: Implement corrective measures (brief break, state reset techniques, position size adjustment, etc.)

Why This Works​

The key insight is that psychological deterioration usually happens gradually and below our conscious awareness. By interrupting this drift with structured check-ins, you catch problems before they impact your decisions.


It's like having a psychological radar system that alerts you to problems before they become crises.

Common Pushback (and My Responses)​

"This will interrupt my trading flow" - The 60-second assessment prevents hours of problematic decision-making later


"I don't need this when everything feels fine" - That's exactly when you need it most - to establish baseline patterns and catch problems early


"It seems too mechanical" - Trading psychology needs the same systematic approach we use for technical analysis

Results I've Seen​

Since implementing this practice:

• Caught myself averaging down losing positions three times before doing it
• Recognized overconfidence during winning streaks before it led to oversizing
• Maintained more consistent sleep patterns during active positions
• Made more objective exit decisions

The practice builds your psychological immune system over time - you become much better at recognizing your own patterns.

Want to Try It?​

Start simple: Pick just one position and commit to checking your psychological state twice during the day. Use the 1-5 rating system on those five dimensions. Don't overthink it - the value is in the pattern recognition over time, not individual assessments.


I've written more extensively about this and other psychological practices for traders. If you're interested in the deeper framework behind why this works, you can find the complete approach here.


Anyone else using systematic approaches to monitor their psychological state during trades? Would love to hear what's working for you.