Common Trading Mistakes Checklist

A static, one-page checklist grouped by when a mistake actually happens — before you enter, while you're in the trade, and after it closes. Not a scored quiz or a dollar-cost tracker — just a fixed list to run through and catch yourself before the mistake, not after.

Common Trading Mistakes

Date: Session:

1. Before You Enter

Run through this before placing an order, not after.

Entering without a written stop-loss level already decided

No defined setup or entry criteria — taking the trade because "it looks like it's moving"

Position size not calculated to a fixed risk percentage of the account

Chasing an entry after the move already happened (FOMO)

Re-entering right after a loss to "get it back" (revenge trading)

Already at or past today's daily loss limit and trading anyway

Trading a symbol, timeframe, or session outside my written plan

2. While You're In the Trade

The mistakes that turn a planned loss into an unplanned one.

Moving or widening the stop-loss after entry instead of honoring the original level

Adding to a losing position without a pre-defined rule for doing so

Closing a winner early out of fear, before the planned target or exit signal

Ignoring the invalidation level once price actually reaches it

Watching the position tick-by-tick instead of letting the plan play out

Letting a single trade's risk grow past the planned max risk per trade

3. After the Trade Closes

The habits that determine whether today's mistakes get fixed or repeated.

Not logging the trade (entry, exit, size, and reason) right after it closes

Immediately entering a new trade instead of taking a break after a loss

Blaming the market or "bad luck" instead of checking the trade against my own plan

Skipping the end-of-day review entirely

Rewriting tomorrow's plan based on today's single outcome instead of a pattern over time

4. Recurring / Weekly Patterns

Mistakes that only show up when you zoom out past a single session.

Trading every day out of habit, including days with no valid setup

Same mistake flagged in last week's review, not addressed this week

No idea which specific mistake is costing the most money over time

Notes / Mistake I Caught Myself Making Today

How to use this checklist

This is not a list to check off after a losing trade to explain what went wrong. It works best read before and during a session, as a set of things to actively watch for while they're still avoidable.
The four groupings matter more than the individual items. A mistake caught before entry is cheap. The same mistake caught after the trade has closed is just a diagnosis.
This card has no scoring and puts no dollar figure on anything. If a specific recurring mistake keeps showing up in section 4, use the cost tracker linked below to see what it's actually costing in dollars, not just habit.
Print several copies, or save as a PDF and glance at it before the open and again after the close, rather than filling it out once and setting it aside.

Not financial advice: This checklist is an organizational and self-review aid only. It does not evaluate your specific trades, account, or risk tolerance, and completing it is not a guarantee of any trading outcome. See our Terms of Service for full disclosures.

Common Trading Mistakes Checklist