Overtrading Nearly Destroyed My Early Career: How I Beat the Addiction

After trading for over 40 years, I know one mistake nearly ended my career — overtrading addiction.

As an options market maker on LIFFE in the 1990s, I was constantly quoting prices to compete for deals & I always had a position to manage.

Later, as a forex screen trader, the temptation to always be “in the market” became dangerous. I chased trade setups—even when the odds weren’t in my favor leading to Trading Anxiety.

As a forex screen trader, I had to ‘proactively’ seek out trade opportunities through technical analysis.

Forex trading exposed me to the psychological pull:

“I need to be in the market.”

How Do You Know You’re Overtrading?

You might be addicted to overtrading if you:

• Feel anxious when you’re not in a position

• Trade during quiet or “dead” market periods

• Take mediocre setups that barely meet your criteria

• See your win rate fall as trading frequency increases

The Turning Point

It took me three painful years to learn that quality trumps quantity every single time.
Here’s how I recovered from my overtrading addiction:

• Set a daily maximum: Just 2–3 high-quality trades per day.

• Score every setup (1–10): Only enter trades rated 8+.

• Master confluence: Wait for multiple technical factors to align before you pull the trigger.

Took me 3 painful years to learn:

Quality beats quantity. Every. Single. Time.

Why Trading Less Wins More

Most professional traders succeed by doing less, not more. I now teach my students to pause, analyze, and wait for the real A+ setups.

What’s your biggest overtrading trigger? Share it in the comments or join my free Telegram for trading psychology tips and community support.

From Trading Novice to Market Professional in 3 Steps:
👉 Technical Mastery – Risk/Trade Management – Trading Psychology
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