Traders lose before they even click.
Not because of bad strategy.
Because their nervous system is already at capacity.
When I studied decision fatigue research, it became clear.
Traders face 200+ micro-decisions per session.
What timeframe?
Which setup?
How much size?
Move the stop?
Take profit now?
Each decision depletes your executive function.
By trade three, you're running on fumes.
Your brain starts taking shortcuts.
Pattern recognition breaks down.
Risk awareness fades.
This is when revenge trading happens.
This is when you chase.
This is when discipline collapses.
The research shows judges give harsher sentences before lunch breaks.
Decision quality degrades with cognitive load.
Your trading is no different.
What changed my performance:
Pre-session cognitive preparation.
Before I open charts, I answer three questions:
What is my emotional baseline right now? (1-5 scale)
What is my cognitive capacity today? (full tank, half tank, running low)
How many decisions am I willing to make?
If I'm at half capacity, I trade one setup only.
If I'm running low, I don't trade.
This isn't about motivation.
It's about respecting your biological limits.
Decision fatigue is real.
It destroys accounts.
The edge isn't in taking more trades.
It's in taking the right trades when your brain can actually execute them.
ForexTherapy tracks pre-trade emotional state and psychological capacity in the Daily Report Card.
Not as journaling.
As decision-making infrastructure.
Use code 618LAUNCH for 61.8% lifetime discount.
#TradingPsychology #DecisionFatigue #TraderMindset #ForexTherapy #PerformanceOptimization
