Guide

Build a Trading Rules Checklist

Turn your best setups into a short list you tick before every entry.

A trading rules checklist is a short list of conditions a trade must meet before you enter. Build it from your own best setups, keep it to a handful of items, and tick it before every trade. The point is to catch rule breaks before they cost money.

Write the checklist

  1. Start from one setup. Write down what has to be true for it to be valid.
  2. Add risk rules. Where is the stop, what size, and what is the most you can lose.
  3. Add a state check. One line that stops you trading tired, angry or bored.
  4. Keep it short. Five to eight items. A long list gets skipped.
  5. Make each item answerable yes or no. "Good location" is vague; "at a level I marked before the open" is testable.

Use it in Toreda

Toreda calls these Playbooks. Create one at Playbooks, add your pre-trade checklist, and select it when you score a trade from your Trades page. You tick the items that applied, and the share you ticked feeds the checklist-followed answer in your trade score. Playbook analytics then show how adherence lines up with your results.

Change rules on purpose

Edit the checklist between sessions, not mid-trade. A rule you change in the heat of a trade is not a rule.

The Risk Management module covers the sizing and stop rules worth including, and Discipline Before Analysis covers why a written plan comes first.

Go deeper in Toreda Learn

Frequently asked questions

How many items should a trading checklist have?
Five to eight. If you cannot finish it in under a minute, you will start skipping it.
Can I have more than one checklist?
Yes. Create a playbook per setup so each has its own conditions, then pick the right one when you score the trade.
Does a checklist guarantee better trades?
No. It makes your rules explicit and measurable, so you can see when you break them.

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This content is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Trading involves substantial risk of loss. See our risk disclosure for details.

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