What It Is
It’s a spider/spiderweb map (sometimes called a radar chart) that tracks common emotional states and their intensities—from 0 to 3. You can tweak the scale or emotions to suit your own experience.
I take screenshots of the map at different times of the day to spot how my emotional state evolves—whether it’s drifting from calm to excited, or from frustrated to stormy. These shifts are easy to miss in the moment, but they often have a massive impact on decision-making.
Why Bother?
Sometimes just one or two red trades can push an already fragile mindset over the edge—leading to a cascade of irrational decisions, revenge trading, or bigger-than-expected losses. The goal here is to catch those early warning signs and hit pause before it’s too late.
If I notice my mood moving into dangerous territory—like overconfidence, irritation, or defeat—I try to step away, take a break, or at least reduce risk size. Later, I can look back at the screenshots and better understand how things unfolded.
Who It’s For
This isn’t meant to be some hyper-accurate psychological model—just a rough approximation that helps me stay a step ahead of my own mind. I doubt many pro traders would find it useful (though who knows?), but for anyone still struggling with discipline, consistency, or tilt—it might be worth trying.
Final Thoughts
I welcome any feedback, suggestions, or criticisms. If you’ve got your own system for tracking mood and mindset, I’d love to hear how you do it.
This tool has already saved me from a few bad decisions by making me more aware of the emotional climate I’m trading in. Hopefully, it can help others in the same way.
Mood Mind Map
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stueytrader
- Posts: 876
- Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2015 6:47 pm
Could be a good idea for many (including possibly myself).
Only question is about completing it and updating it - surely a bit time consuming in middle of a busy day?
And as it's self-report measurement, guess it relies on recognising each of those states accurately in mid-day activity too?
Only question is about completing it and updating it - surely a bit time consuming in middle of a busy day?
And as it's self-report measurement, guess it relies on recognising each of those states accurately in mid-day activity too?
It only takes me a few minutes—just before and once during the day—but I’ve found it quite helpful. One key realization was seeing how I sometimes decide to trade even when I'm not in the best state of mind. Interestingly, there were moments where I noticed I actually wanted to trade just to feel better.
The mind can be tricky—switching into selective memory, remembering only the good trades, and subtly turning trading into a tool for emotional relief rather than a method for executing an edge. That shift almost always leads to poor decisions.
Ultimately, it really depends on the person. The same informations can feel totally different depending on your mental state. And when that state isn’t optimal, it can distort your judgment without you even noticing.
The mind can be tricky—switching into selective memory, remembering only the good trades, and subtly turning trading into a tool for emotional relief rather than a method for executing an edge. That shift almost always leads to poor decisions.
Ultimately, it really depends on the person. The same informations can feel totally different depending on your mental state. And when that state isn’t optimal, it can distort your judgment without you even noticing.
You don't strike me as someone who's particularly tilt-prone?
I assume you main tennis markets. Perhaps you'd get more benefit by observing the players' mental state shifts rather than over-monitoring your own emotions if you're already emotionally steady.
I assume you main tennis markets. Perhaps you'd get more benefit by observing the players' mental state shifts rather than over-monitoring your own emotions if you're already emotionally steady.