Who this is for — Anyone who repeats the same mistake «by being more careful». A recurring error is a fixed tax on capital — engineer it away, do not motivate it away.
A recurring error is a plan deviation that repeats enough to have measurable cost in R (early entries, moved stops, overtrading). Different from a single trade error.
In plain terms — Same bug in the code every week — you need a playbook patch, not good intentions.
Review workflow
- Tag — #FOMO, #Chasing, #Revenge, #MovedStop…
- R cost — monthly sum per tag
- Type — technical vs discipline
- Fix — mechanical rule (checklist, max trades, timer)
| Cost/month | Urgency |
|---|---|
| < 1R | Monitor |
| 1–3R | Fix next review |
| > 3R | Stop live until patched |
Disarming
- Countermeasure in playbook or checklist
- Verify in feedback loop week +1
- Willpower alone = fail
Typical mistake — Identifying the error without quantifying it — «annoyance» does not create urgency.
Example — 14 «no trigger» trades in 5 weeks, −6.2R → rule: entry only on trigger TF candle close.
Summary card
- Metric: R lost per tag/month.
- Fix: mechanical, verifiable.
- Review: top-3 tags every week.
Silver path — Review module. Index: Silver path.
Links
Sources
- CME Group, Keep a trade log — shows how to record trades and observations for process review.
- Investor.gov, Behavioral Patterns of U.S. Investors — describes recurring behaviours that can harm decisions.
- CME Group, Building a Trade Plan — connects rules, risk management, and a log in a verifiable process.