How many trades did you take last week without writing anything down beforehand? If you can't answer, you've just put your finger on the number one cause of accounts that melt down. Here's the truth: most beginners lose not because they analyze charts poorly, but because they improvise. They show up at the screen with no plan, click on an emotion, then look afterward for a reason to justify their entry.
Traders who last do the opposite. For them, the session is won before it begins — and consolidated after it's over. The buy or sell click is just the visible tip of the iceberg.
A trading session is a three-part protocol: prepare, execute, debrief. This framework removes the two ingredients that drain accounts: emotion and improvisation. Here's the complete checklist, step by step.
⏳ BEFORE — preparation
Fifteen to twenty minutes before opening the live chart, you set the stage. It's the most profitable moment of your day — even if it doesn't pay off in the moment. Think of a pilot: they don't take off without checking the flight plan, the weather and the fuel. You're the same.
- 1. The economic calendar. Spot the day's announcements: inflation (the famous "CPI," the consumer price index), employment figures ("NFP"), Fed decisions (the U.S. central bank), policy rates — in other words, the "price of money" set by the central bank. A big announcement is like a storm forecast in the mountains: visibility drops all at once. You note the time and stay at a distance, or you wait for the storm to pass. (command /eco)
- 2. The recap of previous sessions. What did Asia do overnight? London? Is the market trending (moving in one direction), ranging (stalling between two bounds) or changing direction? You arrive knowing the story, not discovering it.
- 3. The context of YOUR session. If you trade New York: how does it open relative to the Asian range? An open inside that range often gives a more readable, directional day. Was London wider than Asia? Which trend are you following? (the JARVIS METHOD indicator on TradingView displays session and exchange markers; type /session)
- 4. Your directional bias. Where is price relative to the VWAP? The VWAP is the day's "volume-weighted average price": a line showing the average level at which trades actually took place. Above it, buyers are in control; below it, sellers. The weekly view gives the direction to prioritize, the monthly view the underlying trend. That tells you which side to watch today.
- 5. Your key levels, noted BEFORE. Yesterday's session highs and lows, the VWAP and its extremes (±2σ, ±3σ: standard deviations, i.e., zones where price moves far from its average), reaction zones. You never look for your bearings mid-trade.
- 6. The state of your account, especially with a prop firm. A prop firm (proprietary trading company) entrusts you with capital it funds: you must comply with loss rules. How much loss buffer do you have left? What is the maximum allowed loss for the day? You calibrate your risk-taking to THAT number — not to the displayed account size. A €100,000 account doesn't let you risk €100,000.
- 7. Your plan for the day, written down. Bias, time window, maximum number of trades, rules. A written plan is a compass when things heat up. (command /plan)
- 8. Your mental and physical check. Did you sleep well? Are you calm? A tired or angry trader hands their money to the market. If you're not in shape, the best decision remains not to trade — and that's a professional decision, not an admission of weakness. The "My Condition" section of the platform helps you monitor your trader lifestyle.
- 9. Your environment. Silence, phone away, no distractions. Your attention is a limited resource: protect it like capital.
👉 The pro arrives at the open already knowing what they're looking for, where, and what they're risking. The amateur discovers everything live — and reacts in the heat of the moment.
🎯 DURING — execution
Now you execute your plan. No new ideas, no improvisation — just discipline. This is where everything you wrote turns into action.
- 1. Take only YOUR setups. A setup is a market configuration that your method has identified as favorable — not a gut feeling of the moment. If the setup isn't clear, the best trade remains the one you don't take.
- 2. Calculated size, never by feel. "Size" is the number of lots or contracts you commit. Use the position calculator (or ask the assistant: "calculate the size for…"). Fixed risk, 1 to 2% maximum — always. On €1,000, 1% = €10: that's your maximum loss if the stop is hit.
- 3. Respect your stop. The stop is your automatic exit order that limits the loss. Fixed, never widened "to give it a chance." It's your seatbelt: you don't unbuckle it while driving.
- 4. Move to break-even at the right moment. Break-even means moving your stop to your entry price: the loss becomes zero. As soon as the trade works in your favor, you move the stop to your entry point. The trade can no longer cost you; you're now trading "for free."
- 5. Set alerts, don't stare at the screen. Set alerts on your key levels and step away: price will come to you. Staring at the screen raises stress and pushes toward impulsive decisions.
- 6. Manage your emotions. Stress rising? Breathe, stand up, drink a glass of water. In case of tilt — that urge to win it back, to force a trade — type /sos and you cut it off. Never revenge trade: taking a trade to "recover" a loss is the shortest path to a bigger loss. The platform's mindset coaching specifically supports you on discipline and emotional management.
- 7. Don't overtrade. Respect the maximum number of trades in your plan. Two good trades are better than ten impulsive ones.
- 8. Share your reasoning with the community (if you wish). It makes you accountable and feeds the group — you share your reasoning (context, method, risk), never a "signal" to copy.
- 9. Monitor your daily loss. Approaching your limit (personal or prop firm)? You stop. Protecting capital comes before everything else.
👉 During the session, your only job is to follow the plan. Any "good idea" that wasn't planned is a temptation, not a trade.
📓 AFTER — the debrief
Session over? The pro's work begins. It's the debrief that turns trades into progress. Without it, you repeat the same mistakes for years while believing you're working.
- 1. Journal every trade. Screenshot, result (win / loss / break-even), and above all your psychological state at the moment of entry. The member area's trading journal allows exactly that: screenshots, result and a mini psych test. What you don't note, you don't improve. (command /journal)
- 2. Debrief the DISCIPLINE, not just the result. The real question isn't "did I win?" but "did I follow my plan?" A losing trade that was well executed is a good trade; a winning trade by luck is a bad signal. That's the nuance that separates those who progress from those who stagnate.
- 3. Note your lessons. A mistake you identify becomes a lesson. Also note what worked — so you can reproduce it.
- 4. Turn off the screens. Don't "replay" the session on loop in your head. Sport, walking, rest: your mind is your capital, recharge it.
- 5. Update your statistics. Your equity curve (the evolution of your capital), your plan-compliance rate. The "My Trading" hub centralizes these statistics. Consistency is measured over the long run, not over one day.
- 6. Prepare for what's next. One eye on tomorrow (announcements, levels) so you arrive ready. And the weekly review, on Friday, brings out your trends and your rule of the week.
- 7. Celebrate discipline, not profit. What you reinforce is the process: if you followed your plan, the day is a success, whatever the day's result.
✅ The condensed checklist
- Before: economic calendar · Asia / London recap · context of your session · VWAP bias · key levels noted · account status (especially with a prop firm) · written plan · mental and physical check · clean environment.
- During: plan setups only · calculated size · stop respected · break-even at the right moment · alerts rather than staring at the screen · emotions managed (/sos) · no overtrading · daily loss monitored.
- After: journaling (screenshot + psych) · debrief of discipline · lessons noted · screens off · statistics updated · preparation for tomorrow · weekly review · celebration of the process.
🧭 JARVIS tip: each step has its tool in the ecosystem — /eco (calendar), /session (hours and context), /plan (plan of the day), the position calculator (size), /sos (anti-tilt), /journal (debrief) and the weekly review. The protocol becomes a reflex when the tools are within reach. The Telegram assistant adds the plan of the day, a morning market brief, a news watch and targeted reminders: enough to never again show up at the screen empty-handed.
💡 A concrete case
You pass a prop firm and you pocket, say, €3,000 in gains over the month (order of magnitude, to be verified according to your contract and your status). It's not €3,000 that arrives net in your pocket: depending on the structure chosen, social contributions and/or a tax apply. In micro-BNC, for example, the flat-rate allowance is 34% on revenue, with a threshold of €77,700 — to be verified with a professional. The idea to remember: your performance is judged after these deductions, not before. A trader who ignores this step believes they earn more than they actually do. To go further on this point, the complete and structured training path covers these topics step by step.
What to remember — and the step to take now
The three-part protocol isn't a constraint, it's a liberation: it takes away the burden of deciding in an emergency. Prepare, execute, debrief — in that order, every session, without exception. That's the common thread of this whole article, and it's what distinguishes a trader who lasts from a trader who takes their chances.
Concretely, what does that mean for you? Choose a single step to strengthen this week. For example: writing your plan for the day before each session, or keeping your journal for five days in a row. One step at a time, and you build a solid habit. The orientation test and the progress tracking in the member area can help you target your weak point. And to go deeper into each building block of the protocol, the JARVIS Trading Institut training (jarvistradinginstitut.com/formation) offers a complete path, complemented by bootcamps, mentoring and events.
Educational content from JARVIS Trading Institut. This is neither investment advice nor an incentive to take a position. Each trader remains solely responsible for their decisions. Trading involves a risk of capital loss; only invest what you can afford to lose.