Trading on Target: How to Cultivate a Winner's State of Mind

DECISION-MAKING OVERLOAD

I once met a retired air-traffic controller who wanted to trade. He described the incredible stress he had been under and the thousands of potentially life and death decisions he made over the course of a single day. Because he had worked far beyond the amount of time he was supposed to work in his previous profession, his entire nervous system was destroyed. Overwhelmed with anxiety, his hands shook uncontrollably and he was no longer able to work in any capacity. His life was a living example of the effects of making too many decisions. Much later, I read an article about the limits of the human mind to make decisions in any set period of time and the effect an overload can have on the nervous system.

Traders who attempt to work long hours, pushing themselves past their decision-making tolerance, run the risk of overloading their nervous systems. Like our air-traffic controller, a trader can be aware that each decision has the potential for great loss or success. The result can then be an inability to make any decisions. On the other hand, traders who are careful not to push themselves to their limits are able to make the best decisions because they come to the process refreshed, full of energy, and with the ability to focus.