One of the biggest traps a trader can fall into is to feel the need to constantly “tweak” various aspects of their trading. While it is true that there is always room for improvement, how you go about it can either be helpful, or destructive. 

After you’ve been trading for a while, you may find that there are specific chart patterns that you favor. There is no right or wrong, just simply what works for you. Each one of us is going to be significantly different than the other, and as such we will see charts differently. For example, one trader can be a huge flag pattern fan. This trader lives and dies by the flag pattern. However, his trading buddy loves to trade triangles. Neither is better than the other, just better for the specific traders involved.

If you choose to try and optimize your trading, the first thing that you should do is get a demo account for this specific purpose. This will allow you to keep trading in a consistent and reliable manner, while looking to improve your results. Take little bits and pieces of things you like and try to optimize your trading results in the nonthreatening demo environment. Only after several months of proven gains should you consider bringing the tweaks to your live account.

However, you should keep in mind that your optimization should be built upon a foundation of things that already work for you. Your attempts at optimization should be small in nature, as you already have a core system that is working. The idea is to improve upon your trading results, not step backwards this could be easily done if you are trying to change too much in one fell swoop.

As you tweak your system, keep in mind it is much like tuning a piano. The main nuts and bolts of the instrument are going to remain the same, but you are simply trying to slightly adjust in order to produce the results you seek. The idea is to improve performance, not reinvent the wheel.