I’ve been watching a lot of The Great British Baking Show lately. And I find it fascinating how the way a cake turns out depends on so many tiny factors. The trader in me can’t help but see how something as simple as baking a cake can help your trading process.
Specifically, the way you build a trading plan is a lot like preparing…a fruitcake.
It’s All About Balance
There are so many different types of cakes and treats on that show, but one thing I’ve seen pop up in multiple seasons is the classic fruitcake.
It’s usually a Christmas treat — dense, rich, filled with dried fruits, and often soaked in a generous amount of alcohol.
But here’s the key:
If you put too much fruit into the batter, the cake won’t cook properly. It stays raw and what they call “stodgy.”
Put too little fruit, and it’s not really a fruitcake anymore.
That simple balance issue made me think about something I hear all the time from traders.
Since opening the First 40 Trading Club, one question has come up again and again:
“Hima, how do I get everything from all your courses and e-books into my trading plan?”
And that’s where the fruitcake offers the answer.
It’s not about getting everything in.
It’s about choosing what fits based on the result you want.
And what you want in trading is balance.
Enough setups so your plan feels useful.
Not so many that you’re jumping in and out of trades all day with no room to breathe.
Selecting What Goes in Your Trading Plan
You do not need to take every single thing you’ve ever learned and pack it into your trading plan.
Brainstorming is great. Get it all out of your head at the start.
But not everything you jotdown in that brain dump process needs to end up in the final plan.
So here are a few ways to decide what belongs.
1. What Resonates With You?
Think about the setups or patterns that genuinely make sense to you — the ones you’ve seen on the chart and feel confident identifying.
Those are the ingredients worth keeping.
2. What Never Quite Clicked?
There might be things you learned but never fully understood or could never get to work.
Set those aside for now.
You can always test them later when you have more experience under your belt.
3. How Much Time Would You Like to Spend on Trading??
Most traders begin with money goals.
But you also need to ask how much time and mental energy you want to invest in trading.
Your attention is your most valuable commodity.
How much of it do you want this trading business to take?
The answer to that question tells you a lot about how many setups belong in your plan — and how many you should leave out.
Where To Put The Valuable Extras
If you still feel like you have tools or techniques you want to include in your trading process, remember:
Section 2 of your trading plan — your pre-market analysis — is the perfect place for a lot of that extra material.
That’s how I do it.
My trading plan does not include every element of every system I teach.
That would be way too much to deploy, especially as a day trader.
But my pre-market routine does touch on price, time, and momentum in a methodical way so I understand the market structure best before I start to trade. Then I focus on very specific setups when it's time to execute.
This lets me benefit from everything I’ve learned without overwhelming the actual plan.
Finding Your Mix
Nobody wants a stodgy fruitcake.
And nobody wants an overly dense trading plan!
A trading plan you feel confident using — and confident adapting — comes from being thoughtful about what you put in, what you leave out, and what you save for future testing.
Remember, the recipe isn’t fixed forever.
There’s always room to adjust your mix as you grow.
~Hima
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