Tag impulse trades instantly
Mark trades taken outside your plan or during emotional moments with custom tags. When you review your week, you'll see exactly how many setups were genuine A+ opportunities versus trades you forced into existence.
Overtrading—taking too many positions, forcing setups that aren't there, or trading beyond your plan—is one of the most common ways traders sabotage their own progress. Whether you're clicking into marginal setups out of boredom, revenge-trading after a loss, or simply struggling to sit on your hands when the market goes quiet, recognizing the pattern is the first step toward breaking it. Mantis is a trading journal built for iOS that helps you document every trade locally on your device, identify when you're overtrading, and build the discipline to trade only your best opportunities. By tracking context, emotions, and outcomes in one place, you create a feedback loop that makes it easier to spot the warning signs before you overtrade again.
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Why traders use Mantis
Count your daily trades
Mantis lets you see your trade frequency at a glance, so you can catch yourself before you spiral into overtrading mode. Pair the count with a personal cap in your notes.
Review by session and mood
Filter your journal by date, tag, or outcome to isolate clusters of overtrading. Compare your win rate and average P&L on days when you traded your plan versus days when you took every setup that blinked.
Private by design
All your data stays on your iPhone or iPad—no cloud sync, no third-party servers. You can be brutally honest about your mistakes without worrying about where that information lives.
Track the cost of extra trades
Run stats on trades you've tagged as impulsive or marginal. When you see the cumulative drag on your account from overtrading, it's easier to commit to fewer, higher-quality setups.
Build a pre-trade checklist
Use notes and tags to enforce a mental checklist before you enter. Over time, the act of logging becomes a speed bump that gives you a moment to ask: is this really my edge, or am I just itching to trade?
Frequently asked questions
How does journaling help me stop overtrading?
When you log every trade—especially the ones you regret—you create a data trail that shows you when and why you overtrade. Patterns emerge: maybe you take too many trades after a winner, or you force setups in the final hour of the session. Once you can see the pattern, you can build rules or reminders to interrupt it.
Can I set a daily trade limit in Mantis?
Mantis doesn't enforce hard limits, but you can track your trade count per day and use tags or notes to flag when you've hit your self-imposed cap. Reviewing your journal will show you whether staying under that limit improves your results.
What if I'm overtrading because I'm bored or need action?
That's a common driver. Use your journal to log not just the trade, but the emotion behind it—boredom, frustration, FOMO. When you review, you'll see how often 'action for action's sake' leads to mediocre or negative outcomes. That awareness is often enough to make you pause next time.
Does Mantis sync my trades to the cloud or share data?
No. Mantis stores everything locally on your device. There's no cloud sync, no iCloud backup, and no data sharing. Your trading mistakes and honest notes stay private, which makes it easier to journal without self-censoring.
How do I know if a trade was overtrading or just a valid setup?
In your journal, write down your entry criteria before you trade, then compare the actual setup against that checklist after you close. If the trade met your rules, it's valid—even if it lost. If it didn't, tag it as impulsive or marginal. Over weeks, you'll see which category drags down your performance.
Important: Mantis is a trading journal and analytics tool. This page is not investment advice, not financial advice, and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security or instrument. Trading involves risk; past performance does not guarantee future results. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.