Pre-Session Preparation Checklist
A short, repeatable pre-session routine can reduce rushed decisions. This page offers a practical checklist for getting your environment, platform and risk plan ready before you place a single trade.
5–10 minute routine
Simple enough to use before every planned session.
Why a pre-session routine matters
High-risk markets can move quickly. Without a basic routine, it is easy to jump into trades based on emotion, headlines or fear of missing out instead of a written plan.
The aim is not perfection. The aim is a small set of steps that keep you aligned with your own rules.
Step 1 – Environment and focus
Before thinking about charts, make sure your environment supports focused decisions.
Physical setup
- Close unrelated apps, chats and notifications.
- Keep only the platforms and tools you need open.
- Check your connection and power are stable.
Personal focus
- Notice your energy level and mood honestly.
- Decide whether you are in a state to follow your rules today.
- If not, consider reducing risk or skipping the session.
Step 2 – Platform checks and risk limits
A few minutes checking your platform and risk limits can help you avoid avoidable errors.
Platform sanity check
- Confirm you are logged into the correct account.
- Check position sizes and margin settings from last time.
- Verify that any open orders match your plan.
Risk limits for this session
- Note your maximum risk per trade in simple numbers.
- Note your daily or session loss limit.
- Decide how many trades or ideas you are willing to take today.
Step 3 – Markets, news and "no-trade" conditions
You do not need to predict the future. You do need to know what you are trading into.
Market overview
- Scan the instruments you actually trade.
- Note whether conditions look trending, ranging or mixed.
- Be aware of overall volatility – calm, elevated or extreme.
News and "no-trade" rules
- Check key economic events and scheduled announcements.
- Decide whether your rules say to avoid trading around them.
- If in doubt, consider reducing size or skipping the event entirely.
Step 4 – Set a simple intention for the session
A short written intention can help you remember what matters when things get busy.
- "Today I measure success by following my rules."
- "I will stop trading if I hit my daily loss limit."
- "I will avoid changing size in the middle of a session without a written reason."
You can adapt these to your own situation. The key is that you see them before you place your first order.
Quick pre-session checklist
A version you can keep next to your platform:
Adapting this to your own routine
You can implement this checklist as a printed page, a note in your trading journal or a quick digital form.
- • Start with the minimum steps you can follow consistently.
- • Add detail only if it clearly helps you.
- • Review your routine every few weeks using your journal and weekly reviews.
When your pre-session check says "not today"
Some days, your routine may highlight that you are distracted, tired or overly focused on recent results. In high-risk markets, not trading can be a valid decision.
This page does not recommend whether you personally should or should not trade. It offers a structure to help you notice your own conditions before you decide.
Continue learning
These pages connect directly to your pre-session routine:
Together they support a full loop: prepare, act, record and review.