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The Discipline of Probe Trades

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Not every trade is meant to be a winner. Some trades are meant to ask a question.

This week reminded me of that.

A few setups looked ready to run, and I stepped in with small size to test the waters. The market’s response wasn’t there. Instead of forcing it, I cut them quickly. On paper, those trades were scratches. In practice, they were wins for discipline.

What a Probe Trade Really Is

A probe trade isn’t about profit. It’s about information.

When I talk about “probes,” I mean the small, deliberate entries I take to see if the market will confirm the bias I see. They’re light, low-risk, and designed to answer a question:

“Is the flow with me, or not?”

If it’s with me, the probe turns into a signal that I can press size when structure lines up.
If it’s not, the cost is minimal — I step aside and reset.

Why They Matter

The obvious reason is risk control. A probe that fails costs next to nothing. But the bigger reason is psychological.

Probes protect mental capital. They stop me from bleeding slowly in chop. They keep me from turning stubborn when the market isn’t ready. They act as a buffer between “having a bias” and “betting the farm on it.”

The probe lets me test my read without needing to be right. And that’s a huge difference in trading mindset.

A Week in Reflection

Take this Friday as an example.

Price pushed through a level that often sets off momentum. I took a small long — half of what I’d normally use, because the entry was away from my base. For a few minutes, it looked like it might run. Then it fizzled.

The old me would have held on, hoping it came back. Or worse, doubled down to prove the point. This time, I scratched it at break-even and moved on.

That’s a win. Not because of PnL, but because I executed exactly what a probe is for: I asked the market a question. The answer was no. That was enough.

Letting Probes Fail Quickly

This is the hard part.

A probe isn’t a position you defend. It’s not something you justify or fight for. It should either:

  • Work quickly and give you confidence, or
  • Fail quickly and be scratched.

Anything in between, the waiting, the hoping defeats the purpose. The moment you start treating a probe like a conviction trade, you’ve lost the edge it was meant to give you.

Carrying the Lesson Forward

What I carry from this week is simple: probes are discipline in action.

They don’t exist to make money. They exist to keep me aligned with the market without bleeding, without tilt, and without ego. They’re a filter that stops me from turning every bias into a big bet.

Over time, the ability to separate probes from production trades is what creates consistency. The probe asks the question. The production trade presses the answer.

Closing Reflection

A probe is just a question to the market. Sometimes the answer is yes. Sometimes the answer is no. Either way, you’re further ahead than you were before you asked.

And in trading, progress often looks like restraint.

Have a good weekend,

Gav

Coffee Thoughts – Winning Streak? You’re Not a Genius

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You’re on a roll.

Every setup clicks. Entries are sharp. Exits even better.
It feels like you’ve cracked it.

That’s the danger zone.

Because after a few wins, ego shows up dressed as confidence.
And suddenly, you’re not trading the plan anymore — you’re trading the feeling.

You stop journaling. You loosen risk rules. You skip confirmations.
Why? Because “I’ve got this.”

I’ve been there.

And I’ve burned accounts faster after hot streaks than during cold ones.

When you’re losing, fear keeps you cautious.
When you’re winning, pride pushes you off balance.

The market doesn’t care if you’re on fire or freezing.
It just wants to know – can you manage yourself today?

Wins don’t make you invincible.
They make you vulnerable, if you let them.

So next time you’re stacking green days?
Take the win. But don’t get cute.

Stay boring. Stay sharp. Stay dangerous, in control, not hyped up.

— Gav, with coffee

Side note: If you’ve had a few good trades lately, go read your risk rules again. Then check if you’re actually following them.

My Clean Chart Philosophy

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At one point, I had everything on my chart.

EMAs, MACD, RSI, volume, fibs, support zones, resistance zones.

It felt smart… until it wasn’t.

Too much info just blurred everything.

Now? My charts are almost empty.

Price, levels, maybe a VWAP. That’s it.

Here’s why I stripped it all down — and why I keep it that way.

1. More Lines, More Confusion

I used to think confluence meant confidence.

But really, I was just stacking tools until something said “buy.”

It wasn’t analysis. It was just noise.

When I cleared things out, I saw price more clearly.

And the decisions got easier — not because I was smarter, but because I could finally see.

2. Price First, Always

Everything starts with price now.

  • Where is it coming from?
  • Where is it heading?
  • Who’s likely stuck?

That’s it. I start with a blank chart and build from there.

If something stands out, I’ll bring in VWAP or ADR to double-check.

But only after I’ve made a first read.

3. Indicators Come After the Idea

I don’t let tools drive the trade. They’re just there to confirm what I already see.

So I’ll draw levels, map context — then maybe turn on VWAP, session ranges, or my ADR script.

No fixed rules. Just a simple process that starts with my eyes.

All of this lives in my TradingView template. Clean and quick to load.

4. Visual Calm = Mental Calm

I keep my charts dark. Grey lines, white candles, soft blue zones.

No red-green circus.

If my charts are too loud, I make worse decisions.

So now they’re quiet. On purpose.

5. Clean Charts = Fewer Dumb Trades

This surprised me.

Once I removed all the clutter, I stopped overtrading.

Fewer setups meant fewer forced trades.

It made me wait longer. Be more patient.

Not because I was trying to be disciplined – just because nothing was there to chase.

Clean charts helped build that habit.

Final Thoughts

I don’t think clean charts make you profitable.

But I do think they help you see better and that’s a big deal.

If I need five indicators to believe in a trade, I probably don’t trust the setup.

So now I trade what I can see. And I keep it simple on purpose.

That’s why I use TradingView.

Not because it’s fancy, but because it helps me keep things clean.

—
Gav

Want to try out TradingView for free?
You can set it up right here.

How I Set Up My Charting Workspace for Day Trading

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You don’t need a spaceship to trade.

Just a clean bench, sharp tools, and a habit of showing up.

Over the years, I’ve stripped down my charting workspace the same way a good kitchen gets streamlined: fewer gadgets, more flow.

Here’s how I set up my TradingView layout — not because it’s the “right” way, but because it helps me think clearly, act quickly, and stay out of my own way.

1. One Workspace, One Focus

I use just one main layout in TradingView.

No split screens. No distractions. One chart at a time.

Each pair (USD/JPY, AUD/USD, etc.) gets its own tab, saved with the same template.

The idea is simple: when I switch pairs, the structure stays familiar — like walking into the same room, even if the furniture shifts.

2. The Timeframes I Actually Use

I trade short-term moves, so these three are all I need:

  • 1-hour: for structure and levels
  • 5-minute: for entries and executions
  • 15-minute: as a bridge (mostly during London open)

I keep these stacked vertically. Not fancy — just efficient.

I want to see the context, the setup, and the trigger in one glance.

3. Clean by Default

No watermark. No clutter.

Just price, candles, and key levels.

Most days, I keep indicators hidden until I’ve done my top-down read.

This stops me from anchoring my bias too early.

(I’ve learned the hard way that an early MACD opinion is not always a good thing.)

Once I’ve marked my zones and potential setups, I’ll toggle on:

  • VWAP with 1–2 standard deviations
  • A basic ADR range (custom script)
  • Sometimes the session box, if it’s a choppy week

All of this is saved in my TradingView template. I load it. Review it. Get to work.

4. Colours That Don’t Scream

I use muted colours — black background, soft greys for levels, pale blue for boxes.

Bright red and neon green? No thanks.

If I need drama, I’ll watch Netflix.

The whole point is to stay calm. I want the chart to fade into the background until something important stands out. The way a good chart should.

5. Alerts > Watching

I don’t babysit candles.

Once I’ve got levels drawn, I set price alerts directly on TradingView. If price comes near an area I care about, I get a ping.

Otherwise? I walk away.

This one habit probably saved me from dozens of FOMO trades.

Side note: if you’re rebuilding your charting workflow, TradingView offers customizable features that might be a good place to start. I’ve tried others. I stuck with this.

Final Thoughts

Your workspace should reduce friction, not add to it.

The more time I’ve spent trading, the more I’ve learned to value simplicity.

It’s not about showing off a fancy setup. It’s about knowing exactly what I’m looking at — and why.

TradingView helps me do that. That’s why I use it. That’s why I recommend it.

Not as a pitch — but as a tool that works.

I’m not here to teach chart hacks. Just sharing what’s worked for me.

If you’re streamlining your own setup, start small. Clean first. Then tweak.

—
Gav

Want to try out TradingView?

You can set it up right here.

Coffee Thoughts – Don’t Trade to Prove Something

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At some point, I stopped trading the market and started trading my ego.

I wouldn’t have said that out loud back then.

But looking back, it was obvious.

I wasn’t trading setups. I was trading to prove I was smart.

That I could bounce back.

That I was right and the market was wrong.

That I could silence the doubt in my own head, or someone else’s voice.

You can guess how that went.

Forced trades. Oversized positions. Revenge entries that made no sense.

All because I needed the win; not because the trade made sense.

When your identity gets tied to the outcome of one trade, you’re not a trader.

You’re just a gambler in denial.

This game doesn’t reward pride. It rewards process.

Now? I trade what’s there. Not what I wish was there.

I let the win or loss be what it is, data.

Not a statement about me.

The market doesn’t care what you’re trying to prove.

And the more you try to prove, the worse your decisions get.

So here’s a quiet reminder:

You don’t need to prove anything.

Just trade well.

— Gav, with coffee

Side note: If you’re working on detaching emotions from execution, check out my Back to Basics of Trading series — it’s built for that.

Brewing Patience – What Espresso Taught Me About Timing My Trades

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Some mornings, I get impatient.

I grind the beans. Heat the machine. Pull the shot.

Too fast.

The crema’s thin. The taste is flat. I drink it anyway, but I know I rushed it.

Espresso doesn’t like to be rushed.

The machine needs time to heat. The pressure needs to build. The extraction needs to flow at just the right pace.

Skip any of that, and it shows in the cup.

Trading works the same way.

I’ve learned this the hard way, especially with setups I want to be ready.

The price is moving. The level is near. I think I see the pattern forming. So I enter early.

Then it rolls over. Or chops around. Or stops me out before it ever takes off.

All because I couldn’t wait.

I’ve learned to treat my entries like I treat my coffee.

  • Let the conditions warm up
  • Watch the flow
  • Wait for the moment, not the noise

Because forced trades taste just like rushed espresso.

Bitter.

There’s a rhythm to both.

You don’t need to be fast. You need to be in sync.

Brew slow. Trade slow. Let it come to you.

Good things rarely arrive early — but they often arrive if you’re still waiting.