The Psychological Trigger that Refuses “I’m tired, I don’t want to do this” and Takes Action
Hello, this is Shimon.
“I was startled.”
That’s what a student from the Stock Academy said to me.
In the previous newsletter,
“When you become used to trading,
you inevitably neglect the basics,
so I’m still regularly doing past-trades.”
That was the story I shared.
What is “past-trade”—trading fundamentals practiced using past stock prices—
is, however,
After hearing this,a student from Stock Academy
sent me the following words.
“Even you, Shimon-sensei, are doing past-trade? I panicked and thought I must do it too.
Since I’ve started making profits,
I had let my guard down.”
and so on.
If we compare it to baseball,
past-trade islike shadow batting practice.
Just because a professional baseball player becomes pro,it doesn’t mean they stop practicing.
In the same way,
even if you start earning from trading,
you won’t quit fundamental practice.
Humans are creatures who forget.
For example,have you ever had this experience?
A book you read once and understood the gist of,
you reread it again and
realize there were quite a few parts you forgot,
and read with a surprisingly fresh feeling,as if new.
Recently,I did that with the manga “Slam Dunk.”
When I reread it,
I thought, “Oh yes, that’s how it was.”
There were many scenes I enjoyed more than I expected.
It’s a manga I’ve read many times before, though.
Like this, forgetting is a human thing, so
don’t become complacent just because you understood it once.
The important thing is to review it over and over.
You don’t need to work furiously every day, but
if you want to earn in trading,
regular practice is essential.
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Cut the habit of being lazy, of avoiding it
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But it’s still a hassle, isn’t it?
Honestly, there are times I think “it’s a pain,”
and it can take quite a while to start past-trade.
Once you start, you can progress smoothly,and it becomes nothing special, but
lifting your heavy resolve and getting started
requires a lot of energy.
So,I understand the feeling of “it’s a hassle,”
but
if you leave it as is, your life won’t change.
Try to use as little energy as possible and
find ways to start more easily.
Here’s one piece of advice.
There is a technique to reduce the feeling of “I can’t start.”
You set a timer for yourself.
Decide what and when to do, that’s all.
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Have you heard of “if-then planning”?
A psychology-backed method thatcodes a timer into your brain.
For example
“I will start past-trade at 4 pm,”
and then begin.
That’s all there is to it.
Just this much, and it’s surprisingly effective.
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“Not just deciding, but beforehand clearly specifying when and what to do
dramatically increases the likelihood of execution.”
Heidi Grant Halvorson
“The 9 Habits of Highly Effective People: The Science of Success at Columbia University
(Discover Twenty-First Century)
First edition June 25, 2017
Fourth edition June 19, 2019
P.25
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If your ability to act doubled or tripled,wouldn’t that change your life?
Try it once, even if you have troublegetting started.
It might be okay even if you don’t fix a time.
For example, I set a rule: “If I lose a game, I do 10 push-ups,”
and so on.
Similarly, it might be good to decide
“when and what you will do.”
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Use the feeling of curiosity about what happens next.
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“But even so, I still feel I can’t act.”
If that’s you, here’s one more tip.
“Stop on purpose when your motivation is rising.”
For example, during past-trade,
when you’re curious about the next day’s price,
ending on purpose at that moment can motivate you to start next time.
This is also based on psychology
and is called the Zeigarnik effect.
Unfinished tasks tend to stick in memory more easily.
Even while reading “Slam Dunk,”
one ends a volume at a good moment,
and you want to continue with the next volume,
but stopping at a midway point makes you want to know how it turns out.
So, using that tendency, ending past-trade at a moment when you’re curious about the next price can be effective.
By the way,this newsletter is delivered twice a week,
even if there’s something you want to write about,
I sometimes hold off and don’t finish writing.
That way, when I start writing next,
my motivation increases and I can begin with less energy.
Among famous writers, some use this style of drafting as well.
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Customization is the key at the end
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We introduced two tips, but
one thing to remember is that
“there is no universal method.”
If you have ten people, ten personalities and ways of thinking remain differen
t. There is no one-size-fits-all method.
Therefore,
you may need to customize to your own style.
The tips discussed today may work for you; if they do, that’s fine, but
if you don’t feel the effect, try adjusting them to suit you.
This applies to stock trading methods as well—finding the method that fits you best is crucial for producing results.
Thank you for reading to the end today as well.
Keizou Shimon
