Just had a conversation with someone who checks their PnL literally every hour and I'm like... why are you torturing yourself? 😅

Look, I get it. Knowing what is PnL matters, right? It's basically your profit and loss statement — you're either in the green or in the red. Simple concept. But here's what nobody talks about: obsessing over that number daily is actually destroying your trading performance.

Think about it. You wake up, first thing you do is check your positions. Down 2%? Panic hits. Up 5%? Suddenly you're thinking about taking profits or adding more risk. This emotional rollercoaster is exactly what kills consistent traders.

I realized this the hard way. When I was constantly monitoring what is PnL, I was making impulsive decisions based on noise. Some guy on Twitter posts a bearish take, my account dips 1%, and suddenly I'm questioning my entire strategy. It's exhausting and it doesn't work.

The real shift happened when I started treating my positions like a long-term thesis instead of a daily scorecard. Now I check my portfolio maybe once a week, sometimes less. Instead, I spend that mental energy on actual analysis — reading market structure, understanding what's really driving price action, refining my entry and exit rules.

Here's the thing about what is PnL that most people miss: it's not a daily metric. It's the cumulative result of making good decisions over time. A successful trader isn't the one printing money every single day. They're the one who's systematically profitable over months and years.

So if you're currently addicted to checking your P&L every few hours, try this experiment. Set a reminder for once a week. That's it. Use the rest of your time to actually improve your craft — study charts, backtest ideas, refine your strategy. Your future self will thank you.

The market will still be there. Your positions will still be there. But your mental clarity? That's worth way more than any daily PnL number.