Why Doing Less Made Me a Better Trader
One of the biggest shifts in my trading journey was realizing that doing less actually moved me forward.
When you come from a 9–5 world, you’re wired to believe that being busy = being productive. You’re rewarded for effort, presence, and filling your day with tasks. The more you do, the more it feels like progress.
But trading isn’t like that.
That mindset — trying to stay active and always involved in something — is what hurts most traders early on. I used to chase setups all day, thinking I had to be constantly engaged to move forward. More alerts, more tickers, more action. But the only thing that really grew was my frustration and drawdowns.
Over time, I realized that most of my real progress came from restraint. From doing less, but doing it with focus and intent. Some of my best stretches came from trading just a few names, over and over — the ones I understood deeply. I sized up only when conditions were aligned: the setup, the structure, the market, and my state of mind.
Doing less isn’t lazy. It’s strategic. It’s letting the market come to you, not forcing your will on it. That’s what creates consistency and peace of mind.
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SITUATIONAL AWARENESS, GAMEPLAN, and TOP IDEAS 6/15
THE MARKET PICTURE (5-pillars checklist)
1. $QQQ Price Action — risk-on, extended
Three days up in a row, QQQ +3% / QQQE +2.5% — price above rising 21dma-structure, trend intact and accelerating.
Already running hot — 2.3x ATR from the 21ema and 3.4x ATR from the 10wma. The tape is strong but stretched.
2. Breadth Regime — risk-on, overbought
MCSI on the LL Composite holding above its 10dma, flagged OB — expansion regime confirmed, but no fresh fuel here.
MCO near overbought, stocks above 5dma at 75%. Breadth extension is real and short-term overcooked.
3. Internals — risk-on
Credit Spreads pinned below their declining 21dma-structure, drifting lower — clean.
VIX at 16.28, below its declining 21dma-structure — no stress in the system.
4. Liquid Leaders Action — risk-on
Semis remain the engine — Memory, Equipment, and Power Semis driving the tape. Electronics Mfg Services and Optical Components coiling at 21dma-structure with full-breadth leadership setups ($CLS / $FLEX, $VIAV / $GLW).
No red flags in the leadership board — laggards like $CRWD and $CSCO only now building the right side, holding at the 21dma-structure I flagged this morning.
5. Portfolio & NER Feedback — risk-on, derisking into strength
Risk-on follow-through day, but a derisking day on my book — managing extension, not pressing into it.
Action: NEW none / ADDED none / TRIMMED $AMD, $NBIS / CLOSED none
NER -0.83%, NE Delta -0.47%, Open Heat -12.28%. Staying off margin is intentional — book is light, cash is building, ready for the proven merchandise to pull back into structure.
THE GAMEPLAN
Game plan stays the same. Short-term breadth is a bit overbought and price is pretty extended — three days up in a row, positions are working, but this isn’t the spot to press. I’d rather wait for breadth extension to flush and MCO to get near oversold before pressing. That’s where the risk/reward stacks back up — when the strongest names pull back into rising 21dma-structure on some short-term fear.
The make-or-break pillar is breadth. Watching MCSI hold above its 10dma while MCO works off the overbought condition — that’s the regime-sustain signal. A roll of MCSI below its 10dma into a price stall is what flips the picture and tells me to tighten up further.
My execution plan is binary from here. If we get a stress test tomorrow or in the next few sessions, I’m willing to add one or two positions on small risk into names backtesting their rising 21dma-structure. If we just keep trending up here without a flush, more patience is needed — I’m not chasing names three days into a rip. The focus list below reflects that: these are the names I want on backtests of rising 21dma-structure, not up here.
TOP IDEAS FOCUS LIST
These are the names I want on pullbacks into rising 21dma-structure — not chasing them up here after three green days.
$LITE (27) — Technology • Communication Equipment
$VIAV (132) — Technology • Communication Equipment
$FLEX (390) — Technology • Hardware, Equipment & Parts
$FROG (618) — Technology • Software - Application
$CLS (660) — Technology • Hardware, Equipment & Parts
$CRWD (964) — Technology • Software - Infrastructure
$CSCO (1050) — Technology • Communication Equipment
$TWLO (1289) — Technology • Software - Infrastructure
PORTFOLIO UPDATE 6/15
Hey guys, market is super strong here — three days up in a row and positions are working. But this isn’t the spot to press. Sticking to the game plan I’ve been running since last Thursday: took NER up early in the pullback, and now staying patient and raising cash as the new uptrend attempt extends.
Market picture: QQQ +3%, QQQE +2.5%, but we’re already running hot — 2.3x ATR from the 21 EMA and 3.4x ATR from the 10wma. MCO near overbought, stocks above 5dma at 75%. Breadth extension is real.
Internals are clean — price above rising 21 EMA, credit spreads pinned below their declining 21 EMA, breadth expansion regime. No red flags.
So all in all, the tape is strong but extended. I’d rather wait for breadth extension to flush and MCO to get near oversold before pressing. That’s where the risk/reward stacks back up — when the strongest names pull back into rising 21dma-structure on some short-term fear. Until then, patience.
On my book: NER at -0.83%, NE Delta -0.47%. Open Heat at -12.28%.
The game plan stays the same — trim into strength, reduce exposure, raise cash as the trend extends. Took AMD trim early premarket on the open strength, then trimmed 1/5 NBIS intraday into the +11% rip. Staying off margin is intentional — it reinforces the process of waiting for a real stress test before re-pressing. Some current setups will fail when the tape actually gets tested, and I’d rather have the cash ready for the proven merchandise pulling back into structure.
Some lagging names like CRWD and CSCO only building the right side now, holding above or at the 21dma-structure we flagged in EMS this morning. Patience there too.
Good luck guys ✌️
Today’s action:
NEW:
ADDED:
TRIMMED: AMD, NBIS
OUT:
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Themes Lab — 6/15 🧪
Top-down read on where capital is rotating across 180+ market themes. Tape is RISK-ON, semis dominating.
LEADING THEMES (RS)
• Memory — RS 99 (#1)
• Semiconductor Equipment — RS 99 (#2)
• Power Semiconductors — RS 95 (#3)
• Electronics Mfg Services — RS 97 (#4)
• Logistics — RS 94 (#5)
Semis leading +90% 3M with four mega-themes above RS 75; Memory and Equipment both north of RS 99 on broad leadership cohorts.
TOP SETUPS @ 21dma-structure area
• $POWI 91 — Power Semiconductors
• $PENG 96 — AI Servers & Hardware
• $ODFL 93 — Logistics
• $FLEX 97 — Electronics Mfg Services
• $CLS 98 — Electronics Mfg Services
• $MXL 90 — Connectivity Semiconductors (trophy carry)
• $LITE 90 — Photonic ICs (trophy carry)
• $VIAV 90 — Optical Components (trophy carry)
• $GLW 90 — Optical Components (trophy carry)
• $APLD 90 — GPU Cloud & HPC (trophy carry)
THEMES SETTING UP (full breadth)
Watch the themes where the whole leadership board is coiling at the 21dma-structure area together — that’s where the cleanest follow-through tends to come from:
• Electronics Mfg Services — $CLS, $FLEX all setting up (2 of 4 leaders)
• Optical Components — $VIAV, $GLW all setting up (2 of 4 leaders)
TAKEAWAY
Semis remain the engine — Memory, Equipment and Power Semis driving the tape. Watch Electronics Mfg Services as the cleanest breadth setup outside the chip stack, with Logistics confirming the freight side of the same trade.
By: @TradersLab_
LEADERS STALKLIST
Liquid Leaders Universe (top RS)
SNDK, WDC, MU, BE, STX, LITE, VSCO, ICHR, INTC, AEHR, UCTT, LRCX, DOCN, AMAT, MKSI, GTX, TSEM, TER, TTMI, KLAC, STLD, STM, AMD, VECO, ATI, M, ONTO, ASML, COHU, TIGO, VIAV, JBHT, VSH, AMKR, FORM, MT, ALAB, SATS, KNX, ACMR, SMTC, DELL, CHRW, MRVL, ODFL, ARM, TKR, DAL, JBL, CAT
Liquid Leaders 21dma-structure Pullback scan (LONG)
AXTI, BE, LITE, AAOI, VIAV, MXL, APLD, FLEX, GLW, PENG, NOK, POWI, ODFL, ADI, SOLS, MOD, CLS, FLNC, CDNS, CRWD, NXPI
Liquid Leaders Episodic Pivot (EP) sorted by Gap (Potential new Leader/Catalyst)
None
REFERENCES
PT Wiki Is Now Live!!
After weeks of building, writing, editing, and organizing... I’ve finally wrapped up the Free PrimeTrading Wiki. This is the central place where I’ve documented my entire swing trading system — the mindset, process, setups, tools, and how I actually execute.
If you’ve ever wanted a full breakdown of how I approach the market day in and day out, this is it.
What’s Inside:
Alex's Swing Trading System – full framework, entries, sizing, market timing
TradersLab Scans – the exact filters I use to build my Focus List
Trading Psychology Reflections – key mindset shifts and lessons
Glossary of Terms – clear definitions so we’re all speaking the same language
Education Articles – deep dives on Risk Management and Market Structure
Education Sessions – recorded walkthroughs: system, TLMM, process building
Tools – my Trading Journal + TradingView scripts (21dma structure, ATR extensions)
The only piece still missing is the Discord Onboarding section — it’ll be added in the next few days. This project is for you — to help you understand the why, not just the what. Let me know what you think.
https://traderslab.gitbook.io/primetrading
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