I opened my investment app this morning, and it hurt. Down 10–20% in just a few days. Red everywhere.
Immediately, the thoughts started racing:
Should I sell? Should I change allocations? Should I do something—anything?
That anxious need to react is hard to resist. But then I remembered:
I had a plan when I started investing. Not some perfect, expert-crafted strategy. Just a simple idea:
Invest for the long term. Let it sit. Don’t touch it. Check again in 30–40 years.
And once I reminded myself of that plan, I could let the emotions go. I closed the app. Got back to work. Focused on the things I can actually control.
The same applies to chess.
After a bad game, a losing streak, or even just a week where everything feels off, the mind goes wild:
Am I studying the wrong stuff? Should I change my openings? Why am I even doing this?
That’s when bad decisions happen. Impulse. Doubt. Overreaction.
But if you’ve made a plan—even a basic one—you don’t need to solve everything in the moment.
Just remember the three Do’s of chess improvement.
You don’t need to question everything. You just follow the plan. You know what to do. And that alone is calming. A plan gives you structure when your emotions try to take over. It gives you clarity when results are foggy.
And most importantly, it gives you something to trust when you’re tempted to chase shiny distractions.
You don’t need to make the perfect plan. You just need a plan you believe in—created when your mind was clear, not clouded by frustration.
Because when things are going well, a plan feels optional. But when everything goes south? A plan might just save you from yourself.
PS: I wrote this Newsletter on Monday 7th of April. I now aim not to check in to the results – because I anyway won’t change anything.
PPS: This article was initially sent out to my Newsletter list. If you want to get chess improvement advice for free in your inbox, join 17,000+ chess improvers by signing up for Friday Grandmaster Insights here.
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