I think you’re thinking about it too much :rolleyes: 
Are you sure that is not overthinking, that you think what I think is overthinking?
I’ll get back to you when I’ve thought about it.
Hello,
Well I’m ‘thinking’ that all of this stuff is ‘over my head’ to be honest. However: I DO know to what purplepatchforex is referring to i.e. ‘overthinking’ because I do it EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY and I know it hampers my ‘thought’ process (how ironic).
An example:
Let’s say that you have trading systems or methodologies that you have PAPER TRADED and have PROVED to yourself are profitable over time. And yet: I STILL find it very difficult to ‘practice what I preach’ (because as everyone knows I’m the ‘numero uno proponent’ of technical or mechanical trading systems). So: you get a signal, take it, and it’s a bad trade but you’re required to stop and reverse. But NOW: instead of doing this you look at the chart and then at the other timeframes and then you remember hearing and reading that the general consensus is that Gold (just as an example) will go to $1 500 an ounce and …, and …, and … Instead of JUST DOING what you’re supposed to do you ‘overthink’. OR (another personal favorite): remembering that you’ve GOT good trading systems or methodologies (for the reasons noted above) but then you will sit and ‘think’ ‘what if I do it this way’ or ‘what if I do it that way’ or ‘what if I just change that parameter’. Again: this is ‘overthinking’. Or at least that’s what I take it to mean anyway. NLP the solution???
On a side note (and if anyone knows who I am talking about then please let me know because I don’t remember who it was but I do remember it was somebody very successful like a ‘Buffet’, a ‘Soros’, or a ‘Branson’ but I don’t think it was any of them):
Whoever this person was (I remember it from an interview that I saw but as I said I just cannot picture who this person was) said that the reason that they are so successful was because once they’ve made a decision to do something or to try something (and I’m talking about life in general here i.e. not trading specific) they action it regardless of the consequences. If things turn out well: obviously that’s great. But if not: they have the ability to simply ‘move on’ and not ‘dwell’ on the ‘why’ whatever it was did not work out and above all they are able to not feel any guilt or remorse and are simply able to ‘move on’ to the next idea. The obvious benefit of being able to ‘conduct yourself’ in this manner is that you don’t let previous failures stand in the way of future successes. I’ve noticed this myself: as one gets older it becomes increasingly hard to examine an issue, make a decision, and ‘stick to it’ no matter what the consequences. I believe that through conditioning this can be changed. It’s just a question of ‘how’ I guess.
(Geez: this is pretty ‘deep’ for my first post of the day)!!! LOL!!!
Regards,
Dale.
Yes, pretty deep, I’m knackered after reading that, might have to go back to bed!
But I read a great post a few weeks ago, and it basically said - some of the most profitable trades DON’T THINK, they put their experience to work, they recognize a few scenarios/patterns, they don’t think, they know from experience that they work out time and time again, not always obviously, but on the whole make great profits.
What’s more you can always overthink, since you have a time element, you can run out of time while you are thinking - hence you can obviously overthink.
Forex trading is not complex, it is random.
Thought this was quite relevant Email has turned us into ‘lab rats’ - Telegraph
So - be careful out there!
How do you think I MYSELF feel after having written all of that!!! LOL!!!
But yes: the problem with all of this ‘stuff’ is that it’s written about and discussed ‘ad infinitum’ (most of the books on the subject of this business have at LEAST one or two chapters dedicated to the ‘psychology’ of trading and I think there are ENTIRE books on the subject) but yet to get it ‘in’ i.e. ‘into your head’ is another thing altogether.
(By the way: I’m trying to find that thread where we were discussing position sizing i.e. I’ve found a ‘use’ for that formula).
Regards,
Dale.
Nah, I do not declare this as thinking. This is panicking.
If you have a reliable system, there is no guessing, no gut, no emotion, no nothing involved. You do have entry, exit and whatever rules down to time and all BEFORE you pull the trigger and if your trigger comes around you do not think but act. If you then start second guessing what to do, that is panicking. Panicking is anything but thinking or overthinking. 
Hello,
Well then ‘panicking’ causes me to ‘overthink’ (or does ‘overthinking’ cause me to ‘panic’)??? LOL!!!
And that article: FABULOUS (ESPECIALLY the comments by other people which, in some cases, are more than just a LITTLE amusing)!!! LOL!!! And checking e-mail that often: that’s almost as bad as checking positions every five minutes and not being able to actually DO anything else!!! LOL!!!
Regards,
Dale.
Right then you two, can you answer me this on this trade I did here Stop Too Early
Did I panic?
Did I not think enough?
Did I think too much?
Did I underthink too little?
Or was it the kettle boiling?
Please help :rolleyes:
Hi Dale,
you would be the only man in the world who could panic and think the same time, lol. 
There is panicking OR thinking but never panicking AND thinking, because panicking blocks the brain almost 100%.
Frankly I check my emails often and I am addicted to my open trades, if my bot opens some, lol.
But I don’t interfere with the decisions of my bots. Well, at the beginning I one time did, but it was a (not very dangerous) mistake. I closed the trades before the target with smaller profit. Then thereafter price went straight to the target. So, I let them trade now. They do better than I humble human. The thinking lies in the strat and the rules, not in the triggers or actions or trades.
Usually it goes this way with projects: Strategic thinking, then tactical decisions, then acting on it.
The point with nlp is that this is like brainwashing. May be you can trade then like a traders god but it might become difficult to do anything else where emotions are involved and part of the game. I am sure you can imagine what I mean, lol.
I’d say you concentrated too much with the phone and too less on the trade?
Concentration IS like thinking and if you can’t focus on trading, this is not overthinking.
Oh no, I have an answer to think about as well now! LOL
Does your answer have two legs? Then don’t think, act!
Actually Buckscoder (and on a a ‘semi-serious’ note):
I wouldn’t call my own personal issue on this subject either ‘overthinking’ or ‘panicking’. It’s more your ‘old habits die hard’ type of thing to be honest. When you’ve done nothing other than this and it’s consumed your entire ‘being’ and you’ve then ended up ‘losing your shirt’: even when you’ve ‘turned the corner’ it’s difficult to ‘shake’ those old habits ESPECIALLY when you’re using the same trading systems or methodologies that didn’t work for you back then but do now (but only because of the experience that you’ve gained and not because the systems themselves or the markets are any different). Does that make sense???
Regards,
Dale.
Hi Dale,
yes I guess I can understand what you mean.
I don’t wanna be overrhetoric, lol. I just liked to point out that really thinking is never bad. What ppl usually understand under overthinking is everything else than really thinking in a smart sense. It’s panicking or as you mentioned now old habits or cycling through the same thoughts over and over and over again, but without really smart thinking or new input. I guess, you got my point.
I’d be rather concerned regarding underthinking (if it goes to pure smart thinking sense), because that is a habit what we all show probably too often to be helpful (not only in trading).
Best regards
Wouldn’t this be over-thinking?
Mental strength and risk management!!!
Underthought and koolaid (java flavoured), lol!
If you think about it, underthinking should be recommended to avoid overthinking clouding judgement & decisionmaking, but it (underthinking) has to be done in a structured framework and mindset predetermined through extensive thought process, i.e. one’ll have to think about it much (overthink) so as to iron most all issues and remove flawed thought, to develop a structure / framework which allows one to underthink profitably. I think you get my point?
Yes, I totally get your point; in forex trading you have to achieve a certain level of proficiency in the strategy you use before you can stop thinking so much. Once you read a certain level of proficiency there is simply no advantage in over-thinking, thus underthinking becomes advantageous.