Having traded in the derivatives market for years, I’ve discovered a counterintuitive rule — the more frequently you stare at the screen, the faster you lose money. Conversely, the most relaxed traders tend to survive the longest.

I never force followers to stare at the screen all the time. The core logic is simple: first confirm the main trend direction, then test the waters with small positions a few times. Once the signal is clear, increase the position size to follow, set a stop loss, and then let it be. What’s the benefit of doing this? It frees up time to do other things — read books to improve knowledge, exercise to stay in shape, or even run a side business. People around me don’t even know I’m trading.

Many people can’t hold onto their positions. Basically, they just want to make quick money. But the reality is, after the daily chart level, those small profits of a few points are hardly worth mentioning. True opportunities are a wave of market movement of hundreds or even thousands of points. The key to holding onto it is — don’t fear wasted effort. With ten attempts, as long as you hit once, all previous costs are recovered.

Always keep your position size within a manageable range. Don’t set your stop loss too tight; repeatedly getting stopped out damages your capital and messes with your mindset. I prefer to set stop losses based on the weekly chart, as it reveals the bigger picture. If you’re really worried, daily or 60-minute stop losses are also sufficient. Never tinker at small levels — constantly entering and exiting, only to find that the main trend hasn’t changed at all, is just pointless effort.

Once the main trend is confirmed, hold firmly until the trend at your current level ends. No matter how skilled your technical analysis, you can only find your rhythm after about three attempts. Once the price moves away, don’t exit easily. Nervous about holding? Start with 100U, double it to 200U once comfortable. Going slow is okay; the more you do it, the more natural it becomes — safe and efficient. Low trading frequency, reasonable stop losses, and the market won’t be able to eliminate you easily.

In the end, excellent technical skills are less important than low-frequency trading. Focus on weekly and monthly charts to determine the trend, look for buy points on the daily chart, and make one wave of profit every two or three months. Over a year, three or four such waves can recover half your capital — that’s not a big deal.

Stop forcing it. Change your mindset: let the market send you money, instead of rushing to grab it. Otherwise, you won’t make money, and your health will suffer first. Walking this path alone in the market is indeed very difficult. Get your mindset right, and the road ahead will be much smoother.