The six checks
Confirm the instrument and session are permitted. Check scheduled news. Define the thesis and invalidation. Calculate account risk. Review correlated exposure. Confirm the trade keeps every program limit intact.
Make it binary
A checklist works best when every answer is clear enough to be yes or no. If a condition is vague, the trade is not ready.
Keep the record
Save the checklist with the trade journal. Over time it reveals whether losses came from normal strategy variance or from abandoning the process.
Important: This article is general education only. It is not investment advice or a recommendation to trade. Simulated results do not predict future outcomes.