Hide your P&L—trade your strategy, not your balance

You’ve heard it from tough-love mentors: “Don’t trade your P&L.” Yet your heart races when the real-time profit column hits +$500 or –$400. That buzz hijacks your brain chemistry, kicking you into fight or flight. You may exit winners too fast or cling to losers desperately.

The solution? Literally hide it. That’s no glib advice—it’s psychological liberation. When Andrew masked his P&L column behind black tape, his trading improved overnight. His eyes stayed glued to VWAP and candlestick wicks, not flashing numbers. His heart rate steadied, and he started sticking to his plan, not to the swim of green and red digits.

Of course, you still want to know how you did—but schedule it. He sets breaks at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. to unearth his P&L, savor successes, and debug failures. That controlled exposure means no more emotional hijacks.

Cognitive studies show that removing real-time feedback prevents distraction and impulsive decisions. You’ll trade your strategy, not your emotions. Real-time victory or pain is for the evening recap, not minute-to-minute madness.

Go ahead—cover that profit/loss column right now. Hide it behind a sticky note or toggle off the setting. Limit yourself to checks at set intervals—say hourly on the hour—and use those moments to journal, not to panic. By treating your balance like a bedtime story, you’ll stay laser-focused on your entry and exit signals. Try it today.