Boredom and Indiscipline
Many traders cannot stay still and feel they must always be trading to make money. As a result, they end up making suboptimal setups, executing trades that do not meet their pre-defined criteria, and trading at times of the day when the market is slow.
For example, consider a trader who finishes their morning session without seeing any valid trades. Instead of stepping away, they begin to look for 'forced trades' – entering random trades to stay active. These trades result in small losses that accumulate over time, which can be devastating in funded trading accounts.
In fact, sitting on the sidelines is often the best move. Trading is about quality, not quantity. Funded traders who trade less frequently but more accurately tend to perform better than those who make unnecessary trades out of boredom. To ensure you are in a good position to remain disciplined and do not trade just to be active, make sure to do the following:
Follow a strict trading plan and take only the setups that meet all the criteria.
Treat trading like a job – walk away if there is nothing to do.
Focus on the process more than the activity and always know that quality outweighs quantity.