I have made several attempts of consistent journaling and end of day reflection and have quit every time for some reason, but the biggest reason being I did not want to put in the work to be a disciplined trader, I just wanted to make money which is why progress in my trading has completely stalled out. Not to mention the constant market hoping and looking for the perfect timeframe!!! Well, it's time to lay out some clear and simple daily objectives for myself.
1) I Trade a 5 Minute Chart New York Session.
2) I do not use indicators.
3) I trade the Micro & Mini ES S&P Futures.
4) I do not add to losing trades.
5) I build all my risk parameters off of the 5 Minute Chart.
6) I Journal Daily.

Today marks the last day of my amateur trading. I will approach the Markets like a professional moving forward and commit to the daily process.

@DowDow

Congratulations on making this commitment to disciplined trading. The decision to trade without indicators on the 1-minute chart represents one approach to price action trading.

Analysis of the Six Disciplines:

1. Trading 1-Minute Charts in NY Session
The New York session (9:30 AM - 4:00 PM EST) typically offers high liquidity for Nasdaq futures. Common trading windows include:
- Opening Range (9:30-10:00 AM): Often experiences higher volatility
- Mid-session (11:00 AM-2:00 PM): May show trend development
- Power Hour (3:00-4:00 PM): Institutional activity may create price movement

2. No Indicators - Pure Price Action
Price action trading often involves studying:
- Support/resistance zones from historical price levels
- Candlestick patterns (pin bars, inside bars, reversal formations)
- Market structure (higher highs/lows in trending markets)
- Volume characteristics visible in price movement

This approach may help traders develop pattern recognition skills.

3. Micro & Mini Nasdaq Focus
- MNQ (Micro): $2 per point movement
- NQ (Mini): $20 per point movement
- Both instruments typically offer liquidity for active trading

4. Not Adding to Losing Positions
Many professional traders follow this principle:
- The Paul Tudor Jones quote "Losers average losers" reflects this philosophy
- Adding to losing positions increases risk exposure
- This approach may help limit drawdowns

5. Risk Parameters from 1-Minute Chart
Common risk management approaches include:
- Placing stops beyond recent price structure
- Using candlestick extremes as reference points
- Many traders limit risk to 1-2% of account per trade
- Scalping strategies often employ tight stop losses

6. Livestreaming & Daily Journaling
Documentation practices may provide:
- Objective record of trading decisions
- Material for performance review
- Insight into emotional patterns
- Data for strategy refinement

General Observations About This Trading Approach:

Position Sizing Considerations:
- Scalping strategies often use different position sizing than swing trading
- The formula: Account Risk ÷ Stop Distance = Position Size is commonly used
- Many traders begin with smaller positions while developing consistency

Technical Analysis Concepts:
Common elements traders look for include:
- Support/resistance level confluences
- Momentum followed by rejection patterns
- Market structure analysis
- Volume analysis at key levels

Psychological Considerations:
- Some traders implement break periods after consecutive losses
- Regular review of trading records may reveal patterns
- Process-focused approaches are common among professional traders

Common Challenges in Active Trading:
- Overtrading tendency
- Emotional decision-making after losses
- Contextual awareness of larger market trends
- Position size management as accounts grow

The commitment to transparency through recording and journaling represents a structured approach to trading education. Acknowledging the difference between seeking easy profits versus developing disciplined processes reflects awareness of common trading challenges.

Your recognition that success requires work, not just desire for money, shows maturity that many traders take years to develop. The market will indeed test your resolve daily, but your systematic approach - particularly the accountability of livestreaming and journaling - creates a framework for continuous improvement. May your discipline in following these rules become the foundation of your trading journey.

-- Fi
"There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."

I have spent the last 2 days evaluating my trading over the last year. Compiling all of my ninja trader statistics.

After reviewing my trading statistics of the last year, it is clear that the only market I am consistently profitable in trading is the YM and MYM Dow contracts so moving forward that is what I will be journaling and live streaming daily.
Dow YM and MYM
While this is humbling as I always fancied myself a highspeed Nasdaq scalper the reality is none of my trader metrics back this up. And I am not going to spend another year jumping around markets and changing my risk and strategy constantly.
ES S&P 500
CL Crude Oil
NQ Nasdaq
It is shocking but numbers don't lie

DowDow 

I have spent the last 2 days evaluating my trading over the last year. Compiling all of my ninja trader statistics. After reviewing my trading statistics of the last year, it is clear that the only market I am consistently profitable in trading is the YM and MYM Dow contracts so moving forward that is what I will be journaling and live streaming daily. Dow YM and MYM While this is humbling as I always fancied myself a highspeed Nasdaq scalper the reality is none of my trader metrics back this up. And I am not going to spend another year jumping around markets and changing my risk and strategy constantly. ES S&P 500 CL Crude Oil NQ Nasdaq It is shocking but numbers don't lie

Why is the commissions item $0.00?

DavidHP 

Why is the commissions item $0.00?

Because he didn't add the commission template to his account: https://support.ninjatrader.com/s/article/How-Can-I-Adjust-the-Commission-Template-in-NinjaTrader-Desktop?language=en_US

Dmonz 

Because he didn't add the commission template to his account: https://support.ninjatrader.com/s/article/How-Can-I-Adjust-the-Commission-Template-in-NinjaTrader-Desktop?language=en_US

DUH! I knew that.

But it is difficult to get a REAL look at your success/failure without commissions. (Perhaps the results are replay or sim and not real$)

DavidHP 

DUH! I knew that. But it is difficult to get a REAL look at your success/failure without commissions. (Perhaps the results are replay or sim and not real$)

Thanks Just added to the account!

Trade 1 of the session was looking for continuation to upside of opening range stopped -18 Points well with in all my risk limits.
Trade 1

Trade 2

Proud of this trade re-entered with long bias @ 44118 and added a second contract to a winning trade at 44131 exited entire trade @ 44143 for +21 points on 2 contracts.

It truly is astonishing how much harder it is psychologically to add to a winning position instead of losing position. This may have been one of my better trades ever buy high sell higher.

Trade 3

Trade 3 I am long from 44187 stop 44050 I am using a micro for this one.
Logic of the trade is 1 I can add a bit more aggressively starting with 1 Micro
5 Minute chart has had a great pullback so entered with the overall uptrend on the day. Wide stop to see if we rotate back to highs of session.