Printable study note: My 10 trading rules (one page, print or PDF)
The feeling
“I know my rules. I just… didn’t follow them today. It looked different. I’ll be stricter tomorrow.”
Rules you only keep in your head are easy to bend in the moment. A written card is harder to argue with.
The short answer
A trading rules card is one page with the 10 rules you never break, written as clear actions with numbers. It sits by your screen. You read it before each session and tick it before each trade.
Below is the fill-in card, then an explanation and a gold example for each line. There is also a one-page printable version: the trading rules card study note, with a print and save-as-PDF button.
The fill-in card
Print this page, or copy it onto paper. Fill in each blank.
- ☐ 1. Risk per trade: I risk no more than ____ % of my account on any trade.
- ☐ 2. Daily loss limit: I stop for the day at −____ R or −____ %.
- ☐ 3. Daily profit rule: At +____ R, I stop / keep going only until the day falls to ____ R.
- ☐ 4. My setups: I only trade these setups: ____________________
- ☐ 5. My stop: My stop goes where my idea is wrong. It never moves further away.
- ☐ 6. My session: I trade between ____ and ____ (my time zone), max ____ trades.
- ☐ 7. News: I am flat / at reduced size from ____ minutes before high-impact releases.
- ☐ 8. After a loss: I take a ____ minute break and write one journal line before the next trade.
- ☐ 9. After a big win: No size increase for the next ____ trades. I run the after-profit checklist.
- ☐ 10. Money and review: I withdraw ____ % of profits each month and review my journal every ________.
Signed: ________ Date: ________
Each rule explained, with a gold example
1. Risk per trade
Everything else rests on this. If your risk is too big, every other rule is under pressure. Many traders use 0.5% to 1%. Example: on a $3,000 account, 1% is $30. With an $8 stop on gold, that’s $30 ÷ ($8 × 100 oz) = 0.0375 lot, so 0.03 lot (always round down, so the risk stays under your limit: $24). The position size calculator does this for you.
2. Daily loss limit
The rule that stops one bad day becoming a bad month. Example: −2R means two full losses and you’re done. How to choose your number: when to stop trading for the day.
3. Daily profit rule
The rule for good days, so you don’t give them back. Example: “At +3R I stop”, or “after +3R I stop if the day falls to +1.5R”. See daily profit target vs daily loss limit.
4. My setups
Name them. “Pullback to the 4-hour support zone with a rejection candle” is a setup. “It looked strong” is not. If it’s not on the card, it’s not a trade. This is the main guard against FOMO and boredom trades.
5. My stop
Placed where the idea is proven wrong, set at entry, never moved away. See moving your stop loss and the stop placement note.
6. My session and trade cap
Pick the window you can sit through with full attention. Example: “London open to 2 hours after, max 3 trades.” The gold market hours tool shows the sessions in your own time zone.
7. News
Gold can move many dollars in seconds around big US releases. Example: “No new trades from 15 minutes before to 15 minutes after a high-impact release.” Check the economic calendar before each session.
8. After a loss
A short break breaks the chain into revenge trading. Example: “15-minute break, one journal line: rule followed or rule broken?”
9. After a big win
The rule most traders don’t have. Example: “No size increase for 10 trades, and I run the after-profit checklist.” See greed after a win.
10. Money and review
Pay yourself on a schedule (withdrawing profits) and review your journal at a fixed time, for example every Sunday.
How to make the card work
- Write rules as actions with numbers. “Be disciplined” can’t be checked. “Max 3 trades” can.
- Keep it in sight. On paper, by the screen. Read it before every session.
- Tick before each trade. If you can’t tick every line that applies, there’s no trade. The pre-trade checklist works well alongside it.
- Give broken rules a cost. For example: one broken rule = done for the day. Write it on the card.
- Score yourself. In your journal, give each day a rules score out of 10. Track the score, not just the money.
- Change rules only in review. Date the card each time you change it.
Where the card fits
- Your trading plan explains your whole approach: how to build a XAUUSD trading plan.
- Your rules card holds the non-negotiable parts of it.
- Your daily routine is when you use it: a daily routine for gold traders.
- The psychology checklist note covers your state of mind before and after trades.
More printable sheets are on the downloads page and in the study notes.
Common mistakes
- Too many rules. Twenty rules won’t get read. Ten short ones will.
- Vague rules. “Don’t overtrade” isn’t a rule. “Max 3 trades” is.
- Changing rules after a bad day. That’s emotion, not review.
- Copying someone else’s numbers. Use examples to start, then set the numbers from your own journal.
- Writing the card and never reading it. A rule you don’t see before a trade isn’t helping.
Sources
- The card is our own template for traders. The numbers in the examples (account size, stop, risk %) are example numbers; the lot maths (risk ÷ (stop × 100 oz)) was checked by script.
Educational content only, not financial advice. Trading gold with leverage carries a high risk of loss.
Frequently asked questions
What should my trading rules include?
At minimum: your risk per trade, a daily loss limit, the setups you trade, where your stop goes, your session times, what you do around news, what you do after a loss and after a big win, and when you review. Our fill-in card has ten lines covering these.
How many trading rules should I have?
Few enough to remember and check before every trade. Ten short rules on one card is plenty for most traders. A full trading plan can hold more detail; the card holds the rules you must never break.
Is a rules card the same as a trading plan?
No. A trading plan explains your whole approach: markets, setups, risk and review. The rules card is the short, non-negotiable version that sits by your screen. Write the plan first, then copy its key rules onto the card.
How do I actually stick to my trading rules?
Write them as specific actions with numbers, keep the card in sight, tick it before each trade, and give every broken rule a fixed consequence, such as stopping for the day. Track rule-following in your journal and review it weekly.
When should I change my trading rules?
Only in a scheduled review, weekly or monthly, based on your journal. Never during a session. Date the card each time you change it, so you know which version you were using.
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