13. Hundred Day Challenge. Week 1 Review

Just like that, the first seven days of this 100-day challenge are in the books. Looking at the results, I certainly can't complain: a total of 13 cricket games and 1 rugby league match traded, resulting in a profit of $1059.28.

The Problem with Over-Trading

Upon review, I think I've fallen into an element of over-trading. Considering the volume of quality cricket available, there was no need to trade 13 games, especially involving matches like the USA vs. UAE.

I also spent time on the Women's Spring Challenge as preparation for the BBL. While the intention was good, I earned only $112 from those five games. The biggest takeaway here is that I didn't manage those books as well as I should have, given that I was at work or otherwise occupied for four or five of those matches. This is a critical point to note, especially with the volume of cricket about to happen, much of it during office hours.

The conclusion is clear: I will stop trading matches during office hours. For the amount of additional effort and brainpower it takes, I'm likely not even breaking even when factoring in the mental cost.

Cleaning the Slate: A Trader's Mentality

Now, turning an eye to the 8 international matches, I'm quite happy with how they eventuated and how I traded them in particular. It's fair to say that after a poor end to the NRL season, my confidence was down. That slump led to a mix of being gun-shy at the right price, leading to FOMO (fear of missing out), and then taking a poor price later—only to watch it lose or fail to lock in a profit.

Starting with a clean slate at Day 0 was the mental break I needed. It allowed me to have a fresh start. The ability to step away and start at level zero again—the next day, week, or month—is an important discipline for all budding traders. Being able to forget a death run of losses, or conversely, feeling invincible after a winning streak, is something I desperately need to improve. I often let the past dictate my future moves, which is a horrible trait in trading. It's the mechanism that allows you to compound losses or fall into complacency when on a good run.

Anyway, back to the international games: from the 8 matches, I'm happy with how each played out: 5 wins, 2 losses, and 1 non-result.

Two Costly Errors

If I were to break them down further, there are two key things I would change:

1. West Indies vs. Bangladesh ($+281) : I let my liability run overnight while I slept. This is an absolutely crucial mistake, similar to trading while at work, and it's a habit I must not develop.

2. India vs. Australia ($-105): It's not the loss that hurts, but the process. I was keen on India while they were bowling and Australia was five wickets down. My thought process was, "India is a great price if they can take one more." And they did! I could have justified the price, but I got distracted and ended up at the kebab shop. Horrible timing, knowing the innings break was only 15–20 minutes away. India cleaned up the tail, I missed my price, and instead of giving the trade a miss altogether, I ended up backing Australia for no other reason than the fact that I felt I missed a bet and needed to have one. That turned out to be one expensive bloody kebab.

The Key Takeaways

Ah well. These are all valuable lessons in my trading infancy. I'm sure I'll improve and march on toward being a better trader.

• Discipline: Do not trade at work or let liability run late at night.

• Process: If you miss the price, do not chase it by backing the other side just because you "need to get on."

• Mentality: Improve the ability to "clean the slate" and start each day or week at zero.

For now, that's enough. Thanks again for reading.