Before the Trading Session Starts,
Check Your Readiness

Check What Is Still Unresolved Before You Begin:

A session can begin with your charts open and your notes ready while an important question remains unanswered. A readiness check gives you a moment to identify that gap before taking on a new decision.

Start with three questions:

Have you completed the preparation required by your plan?
Can you give the session the attention it requires?
Is there an unresolved issue affecting existing positions, orders, or applicable limits?

Consider someone who has planned a session but must leave unexpectedly within

a few minutes. Their preparation may be complete, yet the time available has changed. Before starting, they need to check whether they can still follow their planned monitoring and closure procedures.

Try a brief written exercise. Record one fact under each heading — preparation, attention, and unresolved issues.

Use observable details, such as “order status not yet confirmed” or

“available time shortened,” so each entry points to something you can check.

For every unresolved item, write the action needed and whether it must be completed before the session begins. Apply your existing plan when deciding whether to proceed, wait, or stand aside.

The exercise is complete when you can identify what is ready, what remains uncertain, and what needs to happen next.

Turn Each Gap Into a Specific Next Action:

An unresolved item becomes useful when you identify what would resolve it. “Preparation incomplete” leaves the task vague.

“Confirm the status of the pending order against the platform record” gives you an action with a checkable endpoint.

Return to the shortened-session example. The trader needs to establish whether the remaining time is sufficient for the activities required by their existing plan.

If an open position needs monitoring beyond that period, its management arrangements also need attention before any new activity begins.

For each gap in your readiness notes, write the action required, the evidence that would confirm completion, and when the check must happen. If resolution depends on information or arrangements outside your control, keep that dependency visible.

For example, “Order status unknown” could become “Check the platform record and resolve any discrepancy under the order-management procedure before submitting another order.” The item remains open until the status has been confirmed.

Repeat the relevant check after a material change. An interruption, a loss of access, or an unexpected obligation can make an earlier readiness assessment outdated.

Keep the exercise brief. Its purpose is to turn a small number of current uncertainties into clear actions you can complete or explicitly leave unresolved when deciding whether to begin.

Finish With a Decision and a Recheck Point:

Complete the readiness exercise by recording whether you will begin, wait for a specific issue to be resolved, or stand aside from new trading activity. Base that decision on the requirements of your existing plan and the facts you have just checked.

For the shortened-session example, suppose the trader confirms that an unexpected obligation prevents them from providing the required monitoring. They record that they will stand aside from new entries and follow the existing arrangements for any open positions or orders.

If the obstacle is temporary, specify what would justify another readiness check. “Reassess after access is restored and order status is confirmed” gives waiting a clear endpoint. Feeling more eager to participate does not resolve the original

information gap.

Keep the completed note short. Include the date, the decision, any outstanding condition, and the event or time that calls for reassessment.

You can complete this exercise on paper using the three headings introduced earlier. The result is a dated record of your preparation and constraints.

Readiness still needs to be reconsidered when circumstances change, and

completing the exercise provides no assurance about a trade’s outcome.

Use the Trading Session Readiness Tool:

You can repeat this exercise before each planned session. Keep the check focused on preparation, available attention, and unresolved issues, then record your decision and any condition that requires reassessment.

For a supporting resource, visit the Free Tools page and look for

Trading Session Readiness. Use it alongside your existing trading plan when checking whether you are prepared to begin.

If a required condition remains unresolved, keep it visible and follow the relevant instruction in your plan before taking on new trading activity.

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