YOUR PRE-TRADE ROUTINE
Pre-trade checklist: a 10-minute routine to review your rules
Use this pre-trade checklist to revisit the rules you chose while calm. Spend 2 minutes reviewing your plan, 3 minutes checking your entry conditions and when to stop trading, and 5 minutes listening to the rules you want to remember. Ten minutes is a starting point; you can keep listening throughout your day.
First 2 minutes: open your plan
Read the plan you wrote in your notebook or notes before the session. Note what you want to watch and the conditions you are waiting for. If a new instrument catches your eye, separate it from your original plan and identify what you still need to check.
Next 3 minutes: check your criteria
Review your reason for entering, what would invalidate it, and the loss limit in your existing plan. Note any unanswered questions and resolve them before placing an order.
Last 5 minutes: listen to one or two rules
Choose rules that address a moment you often struggle with. Instead of “Stay calm,” try an action you can recognize, such as “If a trade is not in my plan, I write down my reason before ordering.” Enter your wording in Principle Keeper, save it, and listen on repeat.
Trading discipline: decide when to check your rules
Choose a cue, such as opening your first chart or reaching the order screen. After trading, review whether you noticed that cue and what you actually did. A moment when you paused or resisted an urge is worth recording too.
Keep listening beyond your pre-market routine
Listen over a meal, on a walk, or before bed. Pick moments that fit your day. If a sentence feels unclear, rewrite it in words you would actually use.
Try a spoken reminder
Before my first trade, I review the rules I chose while calm.
Pre-recorded AI voice. Press play to listen.
Turn this guide into one action
- Write your situation and one action below.
- Copy the sentence into the app’s add-principle screen and save it.
- Read or listen to that principle before your next trading session.
Notes are not saved or sent to a server. Print or save as PDF before leaving. This checklist is not a score for deciding whether to trade.
Start Principle Keeper on Google Play · About the app and maker
Make the words your own.
Save your own rules in Principle Keeper and listen before trading or as you go about your day. You can also record a trade you made or an urge you resisted in the impulse journal. No account is needed.
Explore the app ↗Your rules and journal entries are saved on your device.